


Thomas- Study in Pink

by StarNightingle



Category: Sherlock (TV), The Maze Runner (2014), The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Episode: s01e01 A Study in Pink, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, Sherlock AU, but theyre still themselves, newt is john, thomas is sherlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2909201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarNightingle/pseuds/StarNightingle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt has just been invalided home from his position as second in command in the army with a limp. Quickly getting bored with his life he meets up with old friend Alby out of the blue who suggests he flatshares with curious and energetic Thomas; consulting detective.</p><p>You don't need to know anything about Sherlock to follow this, but it doesn't hurt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My chapter summaries are just gonna be short with time stamps from the episode...
> 
> Newt meets Thomas- 0.00-11.57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is purely for myself but if you guys like it too then bonuses all round. I love Sherlock, and I love MazeRunner. I'm trying to keep Newt and Thomas as Newt and Thomas-ish as possible but excuse me for slip ups, they have to get in certain situations somehow lol.

Newt was bored. Bored with a capital B. He was walking through some park or other, wandering through the maze of London. His therapist had told him walking to certain points of the city each day would help give him a purpose; he could reach a point and feel like he succeeded. Unfortunately walking just reminded him of the limp he had picked up recently and that only served to depress him further. He should write about that in his blog, where she would read it, see what she had to say about that.

Newt had just been invalided back from Afghanistan, where he had been a captain of his own company. It was there he had felt like he had a real purpose. There he had gotten between a bullet and one of his men. He had saved the man’s life and was proud of himself for that, but he had been left with a mangled leg. Being in the field, he hadn’t been able to get proper treatment in time, he was lucky the medic didn’t just amputate the whole thing. Thus a limp, thus invalid.

His therapist, whom he was forced to see for his ‘trauma’, had told him that adjusting to civilian life would be difficult. He felt like that was an understatement. She had told him to try two things this last fortnight. First he was to walk, which wasn’t helping. Second he was told to write a blog and record everything that happened to him, which just served to remind him that nothing ever happened and helped make him even more depressed.

 _Today I walked through the buggin’ park, past the bad part of town, hoping someone would pick a fight just so I bloody well had something to do._ Harriet probably wouldn’t like that. Maybe that made it worth writing.

‘Newt!’ a voice broke through his brooding silence. ‘Newt Isaacs!’

Newt turned towards the voice. Sitting on a bench was a dark skinned man, broad and grinning, as if at an old friend. Who the hell was that? The man certainly seemed to know him. He had risen from the bench and offered a hand for shaking, big smile staying on his face.

‘Hey.’ Newt replied non-committedly, smiling politely and weakly shaking the man’s hand.

The stranger seemed to sense his confusion, not that it dampened his spirit at all. ‘Ably, Alby Stein. From school. I know, changed a bit, didn’t grow any taller though.’

Realisation dawned. Alby, he’d been one of Newt’s close friends in high school. ‘Oh! Alby. Great to see you mate!’

‘Yea. Heard you went military, always good at telling people what to do, you were. Over there, getting shot at, musta been exciting. What happened?’

Newt looked down at his leg and back up at Alby, if Alby hadn’t seen the limp he surely would. ‘Got shot.’

Alby turned away slightly, obviously embarrassed, he was never one to be discouraged through and continued looking at Newt, wanting to chat longer. ‘Well, wanna grab a bite?’

####

‘So, living large in London.’ Alby laughed.

‘This place is home.’ Newt replied in all seriousness.

Alby had of course noticed the limp as soon as they had started walking. He had quickly changed his mind about their intended destination and suggested someplace closer. Newt, furiously stubborn and never one to be beat by his own body, had insisted they go to the further one. He was regretting that decision now. His leg ached terribly, stopping him for enjoying the experience as much as Alby seemed to be.

‘Of course. Staying here then?’

‘Like I can afford London on an army pension.’ Newt sighed. He really wanted to stay here, even if he was bored, London was a little interesting at least. The suburbs? That sounded horrific.

‘Course.’ Alby said, still cheery, ‘You could always get a flat share?’

Newt scrunched up his nose. ‘Not sure I get along with people _that_ well. Who’d want to live with me?’

It’s not like Newt hadn’t considered it yet. He just didn’t think it would work. He was kind but bossy and, coming from military background, he was very neat and tidy. Living with other people sounded like hell. Plus his men had always said they loved him, but no way would they want to live with him.

Alby was chuckling though, deep voice rumbling.

‘What?’ Newt asked. He didn’t think what he’d said was that funny.

‘It’s just,’ Alby tried, catching his breath, ‘You’re the second person to say that to me today.’

‘That right?’ Newt perked up, ‘Well who was the first then?’

####

Thomas was on a case. It wasn’t that he was some weirdo who whipped corpses to get off. This was for a case. He reminded himself of that every time the lash fell. It wasn’t as if he was squeamish, it was just that Chuck was standing right there and he’d rather Chuck not think he was a sicko.

He gave the body a couple more good whacks before putting the riding crop down. He smiled awkwardly over to Chuck, wiping his palms on his pants.

‘Thanks for that. Just let me know what bruises form in the next twenty minutes, send me a picture or something. Some poor guys alibi depends on it. Just shoot me a text.’ Thomas grabbed his coat quickly, he didn’t mean to rush off but it was a busy week for the consulting detective business.

‘Will do, Tom. Oh, hey, do you reckon, maybe when you got time...’ Chuck had a way of going round in circles with his sentences. A way Thomas didn’t have time for today.

‘Yea, Chuck? What is it?’

‘Any movies out you wanna see?’

‘Ummmm, that new action thriller looks interesting.’ Thomas answered, ‘Not sure what it’s called. Check that out if you’re interested and let me know what it’s like.’

He was already running out the door when Chuck very quietly replied, looking a little crestfallen, ‘That’s not what I meant.’

#####

With one case on pause Thomas ran down the lab to see if he could coerce anyone into running a test for him. Maybe Jorge would be available, he just needed to know if the two paint samples he had matched, if they did he could prove that his second client was right and her husband had in fact been murdered.

‘Jorge, my man!’ Thomas called as he entered the main lab.

Jorge was sitting at his desk looking somewhat busy. Thomas’s test couldn’t take more than a moment though, surely. Jorge, as always, looked happy to see his younger friend. Thomas was much loved at the hospital he did most of his research at. His curious nature and selfless ways meant that he attracted many people. Jorge loved his willingness to learn.

‘Hermano! Come in, come in. What can I do for you today?’

‘I need to know if these came from the same place.’ Thomas held up the paint chips in their separate evidence bags.

‘Stealing bags from Minho again are we?’ Jorge joked, ‘Give em here, won’t take more than a moment.’

Minho, another of Thomas’s many friends, worked as a junior detective at New Scotland Yard and, yes, Thomas often stole supplies from the young officer. He tried an innocent face, that failed immensely, and handed over his evidence.

Jorge disappeared down a hall way with a quick call of ‘Give me five minutes.’

Thomas sat on a desk and looked around curiously at what was currently being worked on, not that he could make much of it. Even though it was all gibberish it made sense in a different way. He could tell it was important to Jorge for example. The writing grew more heavy and slanted as the papers neared the top. Jorge had been working on this for a long time; he worked on this til the early hours of each morning. There was much more to it than that but that was the giveaway hint. Jorge always slept early, as was evident by the lack of coffee ever; he slept enough so he didn’t need the boost.

Thomas was rummaging through the papers, trying to find something that made sense when the door opened again. He looked up quickly to see two new people enter the room. Well, one new person, he knew Alby.

The stranger came in slightly behind Alby, looking around curiously. And, oh god, he was cute. Perfect blonde hair falling in place so well it might be styled but Thomas could see no signs of product. His eyes were a deep, caramel brown, so deep Thomas could drown. He was tall, skinny and had a slim build. He also had a limp and a slight wariness about him. Thomas needed this guy.

‘I’ll go through your things without permission. I speak all the time and most of it is to myself and won’t make sense. And I pry where I shouldn’t.’ Thomas blurted.

The stranger seemed to realise that was all directed at him. He didn’t quite realise why though. ‘Sorry?’

‘Well, if you know all the bad stuff then you’ll be happily surprised by the good stuff when we’re roomies.’ Thomas tried to smile in a friendly way.

‘Roomies?’ the stranger turned to Alby, ‘Did you text him?’ Alby shook his head and the stranger turned back to Thomas, ‘Who told you about me?’

‘No one. I just figured… I told Alby I needed a flatmate earlier, here he is with a friend.’ Thomas explained. ‘Makes most sense that he hunted me down to introduce us.’

‘Newt this is Thomas Greene. Thomas, Newt Isaacs. Just come home from war, needs a flatmate, thought of you.’ Ably said, finally giving Thomas a name to use. _Newt,_ odd one.

‘You’ll go through my things?’ Newt asked, picking up Thomas’s first line of thought.

‘I don’t mean to. I just sort of do, when I wanna know something, bad habit, too curious.’ Thomas said, smiling at Newt. ‘However I’m also generally clean, I’ll pay my half every time and I make mean macaroni.’

Jorge came back in at that moment and Thomas’s attention was split. Jorge barely noticed the two new people in his lab and just handed the remainder of Thomas’s samples back to the boy with a spread sheet of his results. Thomas barely looked at the sheet, just stared intensely at Jorge, who eventually explained.

'Same paint, kid. Course you already knew that. You really need to learn to do that yourself, hermano.’ He said, turning back to his work.

‘Yes! Thank you, Jorge. The brother! It was the brother. I gotta run.’ Thomas turned back to Newt and Alby. ‘Hey, I was lookin at this flat on Glade. Nice place, roomy enough for two.’

‘Wait!’ Newt called.

Thomas stopped short near the door, hand on the handle. ‘Yea?’

‘We’re looking at a flat?’

‘That’s the point of being flatmates.’ Thomas smiled.

‘We barely know each other.’ Newt said, who was this guy?

‘You’ve just been sent home from Afghanistan, maybe Iraq, after throwing yourself in front of a bullet. That, plus coming in with Alby, is all I need to know about you. The place is number seven one five, on Glade street. We could meet there around seven tomorrow?’

Newt was a little dumbfounded but he managed to nod assent at the enthusiastic boy in front of him. Then he was gone.

‘Bloody hell, Ably, what have you gotten me into?’ Newt said with a huffed laugh.

‘Absolute hell.’ Alby grinned, ‘Oh and, in case you’re into him, he dates girls _and_ boys.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts :) Updates should be every 2-3 days, I've already done the first few chapters so shouldn't fall behind, fingers crossed.


	2. The Flat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting Thomas Newt goes to look at the flat on Glade Street with the boy. 11.58-17.37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has it been two days yet cause I swore to myself I wouldn't post more than once every two days, but I'm so impatient!!!

That night when Newt had gotten home he had opened his computer up feeling different from most days. He felt like he actually had done something worth noting today so he pulled up his blog. All he ended up with on his page, however, was _Met Tommy, potential flatmate_. He just couldn’t think of words to describe the guy.

He’d opened up google and typed in _Thomas Greene_ and found a site run by the brunette. It was called ‘Detective Greene’ and was all about his work. He had a brief overview of what he could do (which ranged from finding lost property to finding lost murderers), a testimonial page that looked mostly unorganised and Thomas’s contact details. Newt popped the number in his own phone.

The last comment Alby had made before begging his leave had been running through Newt’s mind endlessly. _In case you’re into him, he dates boys_ and _girls._ Newt had to admit that, yes, he was into Tommy, now that he thought about it. That was weird though, wasn’t it, renting a flat with some guy you had a crush on. And they’d only just met besides.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting. He wondered what living with the guy would be like, he honestly couldn’t imagine.

#####

Thomas made sure to remember he was meant to be meeting up with Newt at seven. Even though he was busy bouncing around New Scotland Yard following Minho and trying to convince someone to look into the case he was working on. The one he had already solved.

‘Come on, Gal, I already know who did it! Easy case! A positive mark on your record.’ Thomas pleaded.

‘No, Thomas. It’s already been written up as accidental. I’m not Minho, I won’t be dragged into your mindless klunk.’ Gally replied, deadpan, after listening to the first sentence of Thomas’s proposal.

‘Gally, I promise I’m right with this one. If you just look at the evidence I have-’ Thomas said, holding his papers and paint chips forwards.

‘I don’t know how you got all that, and I don’t want to know. The death was accidental. The end Thomas, go home.’ Gally stood up and physically removed himself from Thomas’s begging.

Minho patted his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Can’t win em all Tomboy.’

‘Don’t call me that.’ Thomas said, slightly snappy in his defeat.

‘Hey, you’re mad at Gally not me.’ Minho nudged him with his shoulder and the two turned to find someone else who might take the case.

Minho would take it, if he could. His friendship with Thomas meant that his actions were frowned upon though, especially in the early stages of his career. He wasn’t the smallest fish here, but he wasn’t the biggest either. Still plenty of people he needed to impress before he started chasing is own leads.

‘Maybe Brenda will take it? Crazy shuck owes me one.’ Minho suggested.

‘Maybe.’ Thomas replied, looking at his watch. ‘I got someplace to be though. Wanna sell it to her for me?’

‘Someplace to be?’ Minho asked, grabbing everything off of Thomas and placing it on a nearby table, Thomas never left a case before it was done.

‘Alby set me up with a new flatmate. Meeting the guy to check out a place tonight.’ Thomas replied, casually running a hand through his hair.

Minho laughed shortly, ‘You like him.’

‘I hope so, couldn’t stand to live with someone I hated.’ Thomas said back, but his smile showed he knew exactly what Minho was on about.

‘You know what I mean, man. You _like_ him. You can’t like him. You’ll be living with him.’ Minho really knew Thomas too well.

‘So he’s cute, I noticed, I’m allowed.’

Minho looked like he was going to say something else but suddenly spotted Brenda across the office. ‘Ok, have fun with this flatmate, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. I’ll try get this case open for you.’

With that Minho ran over to Brenda and Thomas headed for the front door. Time to go meet Newt again. Hopefully he liked the apartment.

#####

Thomas arrived at the flat exactly the same time Newt did. Newt had limped his way over there, using it as his walk for the day. Thomas had caught a cab, worried he’d be late already.

‘Hey!’ Thomas called, shoving what he hoped was the right change at the cab driver.

Newt turned at the noise and quickly spotted him. ‘Hey, Tommy. Nice place, bloody good location. Not sure I can afford it even with a flatshare.’

Thomas laughed quietly, partly because of the nickname, _Tommy_ cute, and partly to try and ease Newt’s nerves. ‘Rent’s actually quite cheap, I know the owner, Mrs Paige, she owes me, helped her out a while back. Her partner Janson was sentenced to life in prison.’

‘You got him out of a life sentence?’ Newt wondered.

‘No, I made sure he wasn’t allowed bail.’ Thomas smiled.

It was a good memory of his, helping some poor lady put her horrible partner away for a very long time. The guy was a jerk; he abused children to the point of death, calling the whole thing part of his experiments. Regular mad scientist.

Thomas knocked on the door and Mrs Paige quickly greeted them, formal as ever.

‘Thomas, do come in.’ She said in her politically polite tone.

‘Hey, Mrs P. This is Newt.’ Thomas gestured at his potential flatmate briefly.

‘Pleasure. This way.’ She replied, with barely a glance at the blonde boy.

Newt shared a strange look with Thomas, one that said _is she for real?_ Thomas shrugged in reply and motioned Newt forwards ahead of him. Newt insisted Thomas go first though, stupid limp made stairs a challenge and he didn’t want Tommy, so full of energy, stuck behind him.

Thomas, as Newt predicted, bounded up the stairs, taking them two or even three steps at a time. Mrs. Paige still managed to somehow beat him to the front door and, instead of pushing inside and looking around Thomas waited for Newt to be beside him on the landing as he swung open the door.

Inside was already a mess of newspapers, letters, files upon files and books. It was a nice flat and Thomas had already decided he wanted it, despite what Newt said, he’d find someone to share with him at the low price he was offering. He just hoped it _was_ Newt.

He’d already seen the flat so he focused on Newt and his reaction to it. His eyes went wide when he saw the size of the place. He looked around appreciatively and Thomas began to grin. Newt liked it. Newt would stay.

‘Nice, very nice.’ Newt said, walking around to see the kitchen.

 ‘Yea, well that’s what I thought too.’ Thomas replied.

‘So I went right ahead and moved in.’ he finished at the same time as Newt said ‘Soon as all the klunk is cleaned out.’

They looked at each other awkwardly and Thomas suddenly felt like the world’s biggest idiot. Newt was from the army, of course he preferred his space perfectly neat. Thomas had only just shoved a few things in the room and hadn’t gotten to the putting away and tidying aspect of his move yet. Shuck.

‘I can tidy, I just popped things in, it won’t be this way all the time.’ Thomas hurried to say, almost tripping over a chair in an attempt to chuck some of the mess in a better spot.

‘No, it’s alright.’ Newt quickly said back, worried Thomas might hurt himself in his rush to make the place presentable. ‘Can be cleaned, good that.’

Then Newt noticed something else sitting on the mantel piece and he moved forwards for a better look. ‘Is that a human skull?’

Thomas looked at what was, indeed, a human skull. ‘Ahh, yes? Old friend. Well…’ How did you explain that you kept a human skull as a trophy from your first case? It was beyond weird, even Thomas knew that and it was his damned skull.

Luckily for him Mrs. Paige interrupted his desperate attempts to think of a sane excuse for keeping a skull.

‘There is a second bedroom upstairs, should you need it.’ She said, looking at Newt properly this time.

‘Needing?-’ Newt stuttered and looked at Thomas like a deer in the headlights. He was going bright red and Thomas thought it was adorable. He should put the poor kid out of his misery though.

‘Two bedrooms, Mrs. P.’ and then because he just couldn’t help himself he added, with a wink at Newt, ‘For now.’

‘Of course, Thomas.’ Mrs. Paige replied. Then she turned and walked out of the room, giving the boys some time to discuss and think about it.

‘So, I dunno how good the consulting detective business is, but it’s better than the invalid captain business if you can afford this place.’ Newt said, looking around again.

Thomas perked up immediately, not that he’d ever been down, ‘You know about the detective stuff?’

‘Yea. Seems bloody mental though, some of it.’ Newt had to smile at the mock offended look Thomas gave him.

‘Mental? It’s wicked, that’s what it is. Somewhere I can ask questions and not be looked at like a weirdo.’ He smiled at Newt, ‘Like I said, my curiosity often gets the better of me. At least now I can ask questions and pretend it’s for a case.’

Newt considered that for a moment, but a flashing light caught his eye out the window and he turned to it. There was a police cruiser pulling up to their building. Thomas ran to the window to look too. An Asian boy, looked to be early to mid-twenties, like Newt and Thomas, got out of the front seat and started up the stairs.

‘Here we go.’ Thomas said, gleam in his eyes.

Newt didn’t even have time to ask before the Asian from down stairs was bursting through their door, puffing slightly.

‘Thomas... Need help.’ He managed between gasps.

‘Course you do.’ Thomas teased, ‘What changed? You wouldn’t have come if something hadn’t changed.’

‘This one left a note.’ The Asian replied, getting his breathing normal, ‘Thought we could use your unique perspective.’

‘Give me an address and I’ll be there in five.’

‘You’re not coming with me?’

‘In a police car, Minho? No, I’ll get a cab.’ Thomas said it with such finality that Minho simply turned and left, a comment about texting the address thrown over his shoulder.

‘Case?’ Newt asked curiously.

‘Yea, good one. Seen those suicides in the paper? Min’s been working on them. Guess now I am too.’ Thomas wished he didn’t sound so happy about that, it was probably just gonna weird Newt out, but he was over the moon. He’d been eyeing this case from a distance since the second body showed up, weird that they were so similar.

He grabbed his coat and rushed to the door before turning back and looking at Newt. ‘Have a tea or something, hang around, see if you like it, promise rent isn’t too high, I’ll be back late, number’s on the website.’

Newt was left standing alone in the living room looking around awkwardly. He sat in one of the two arm chairs in the room and looked about, mentally placing his things in with Thomas’s. He could put a picture there, his books would fit there, a desk could be squeezed in near the window. Yes, he really did like this place.

Newt was so absorbed in mentally organising the room that he didn’t hear Thomas bounding up the stairs again and was surprised by his sudden reappearance. He stood awkwardly in the door frame and looked curiously at Newt.

‘You’re from the army, second-in-command in fact.’ Thomas said.

‘Yes…’ Newt replied slowly. What did that have to do with anything?

‘In command. Any good?’

‘Very bloody good.’ Newt said, a little defensively.

‘Seen your fair share of violence then; injuries and death.’ Thomas took a small step towards him, as though his confidence was rising.

Newt nodded again, still not knowing where this was going, ‘Yea.’

‘Bit of trouble too, yea?’ Thomas was stood in front of him now, looking at his face intently, gleam still in his eye.

‘Enough to last me til the end of buggin’ time.’

‘Wanna come with? See some more?’ Thomas’s face broke out in a massive smile, as if he already knew the answer.

And maybe he did, Newt was half out of his seat before he even replied with a quick ‘Shuck, yes.’

‘Going out Mrs. P.’ Thomas called. ‘We’ll be back though, don’t rent the place out while we’re gone.’

Newt wasn’t sure if Mrs. Paige heard though as he was through the door before she could reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmk, So I made a plan and hopefully this will be about eight chapters but that might change... 
> 
> PS stay safe on the web my dears, much love.


	3. The Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas and Newt check out a murder scene. 17:38-32:39

‘If you’ve got questions ask em now. Won’t have time when we get there.’ Thomas said from his side of the cab.

Newt looked over at him and thought for a moment. He wasn’t a curious person naturally, not like Thomas. He was a captain and he gave his own commands but he also took them without question from his higher ups.

‘Where are we headed?’ Newt tried.

‘To solve a murder.’ Thomas looked at him cheekily.

‘Thought they were suicides?’ Newt asked, he had read about them in the papers.

Four people, not connected in any way, had all taken the same drug and killed themselves. Some strong, quick working poison.  If the bodies hadn’t started piling up it never would have even looked suspicious but the rare drug and the strange locations had people suspicious. A quote from the police of ‘don’t commit suicide’ didn’t settle any fears either.

‘Well, that would be boring of them.’ Thomas’s smile was a touch more guarded this time, he didn’t want Newt to think he was a weirdo but it was the truth. He was sure these were murders.

‘Right.’ Newt thought again. ‘So _consulting_ detective. What the buggin hell is that that?’

Thomas grinned again, so he hadn’t turned Newt right off with that. Good.

‘I work mostly my own cases, sometimes I have to convince the police to do something about it, but mostly I handle it. But the police also ask me in to look at things for them, like now.’ Thomas explained, ‘So that means I’m not exactly a PI, but I’m not a police detective either.’

‘Good that.’ Newt thought that made sense. He wasn’t sure how it was possible but… ‘Hey, how did you know I jumped in front of the bullet?’

Thomas seemed like he wasn’t expecting the question but he thought back to the lab regardless. ‘You were a captain in the army, but you left. You wouldn’t have just left, so you were made to leave. You seem like a good guy though so it wasn’t behaviour. So your limp; happened at war. You don’t use a cane and you stand proud, you’re not hiding it, in fact, in some way, you like it. It was a guess mostly, that you jumped in front of a bullet. But it made sense once I thought of it.’

‘Well, shuck, that’s actually pretty good.’ Newt said, a look of amazement on his face.

‘I’m glad you think so. People don’t generally like when you know their business. “Pretty good” is actually a high compliment.’ Thomas looked away slightly.

Newt chuckled under his breath. It was surprising how often he felt like laughing around Thomas, like his energy was contagious. ‘Well I think it’s good.’

‘Good that.’ Thomas said, repeating a phrase he’d heard from the blonde a couple times. It felt weird on his tongue but it made Newt laugh again so it was deemed a success.

They had arrived at the scene by now; yellow police tape surrounded the tall building front. Just seeing it made Thomas feel giddy, he loved actual crime scenes. If he’d been able to take orders, even a little, he would have become an officer like Minho. He was klunk at doing as he was told though so he made do.

Newt suddenly felt out of place as they climbed from the cab. Thomas paid the fare and waltzed over to the tape with confidence, pausing for a moment to make sure Newt was following. He wasn’t, but he forced himself to move.

‘What the bloody hell am I doing?’ Newt asked lowly.

‘You’re helping me.’ Thomas replied.

‘Helping you what?’

Thomas paused a few steps from the nearest person and moved in close to Newt so no one would overhear. ‘Some of these guys, they don’t like me. And I’ve never been very good at concentrating when I can feel someone hating me from behind. You’re here to help me. By being in charge and giving me space.’

Thomas started moving again and it became quickly apparent that he wasn’t lying. There were a few mutters and glares their way and a few people even went as far as to stage whisper insults.

‘So, hack found a friend.’, ‘Ugh, that Greene kid is here.’ and ‘I wonder who he’s sleeping with to be here?’ were just a few of the things Newt heard passing towards the door. These people really didn’t like Tommy, it surprised him, Tommy seemed like such a happy likeable guy.

Newt glared in the direction of the comments. His job here seemed to be protecting Tommy after all. Might as well start it out here. Thomas himself just bowed his head and walked through it. He might hate the comments but he loved his job. It was worth a few rude people to do what he really enjoyed. He made it through the door just fine and climbed the first flight to find Minho.

Minho looked up as he entered the room, ‘Min!’

‘Hey Tomboy, suit up, let’s solve a murder.’ Minho said. Then he saw Newt. ‘Thomas, this isn’t show and tell.’

‘He’s my assistant.’ Thomas rebutted.

‘He’s your cute new flatmate.’ Minho said with an unimpressed face.

‘Yes.’ Thomas started, ‘But he’s also my assistant.’

‘You think I’m buggin cute?’ Newt interrupted. He felt his cheeks redden slightly at the flippant way they both seemed to just accept that, both looking at him with _obvious_ faces.

‘Of course he does.’ Minho said turning to Newt, ‘And this isn’t a place for first dates.’

‘It’s not a date.’ Thomas complained. ‘He’s my assistant.’

The argument became silent as Minho glared at Thomas and Thomas glared back with just as much conviction. Newt wondered if they were somehow talking to each other telepathically, their faces twitched now and then as if in communication.

Minho looked like he was going to open his mouth and complain further but finally shook his head. ‘Suit up.’ He repeated and Thomas jumped in the air happily before shoving a blue suit at Newt and climbing into one himself.

They climbed three more flights of stairs before reaching the crime scene. It was an empty, decaying room. The house had obviously been abandoned for some time, after this it would likely stay that way a while more. The only thing of any interest was the woman dressed all in pink in the centre of the room, the letters r-a-c-h-e carved into the floor beside her, slightly bloody as they had been carved using her nail.

It wasn’t even immediately obvious that she was dead. Newt got an uneasy feeling in his gut after a few seconds of her unbroken stillness. He moved his gaze upwards to find Tommy walking around the room and looking at her from every angle.

A couple people meandered around the landing and glared at Thomas as he walked about but Newt glared back and, with his training, he knew his was more powerful. Soon they were alone in the room. Newt could swear he saw Tommy smiling at him.

‘What’s her name?’ Thomas asked.

‘Jennifer Wilson, found her purse.’ Minho replied.

‘She’s married.’ Thomas moved in closer and examined her left hand, ‘Not happily though, look at this thing, dirtiest item on her.’

‘Wouldn’t know.’ Minho responded.

Thomas pulled the ring off her finger and examined it shortly, ‘Rings been dirty a few years but she doesn’t have a tan line, she takes it off lots, reckon she’s sleeping around, sly dog.’

‘You think it was the lover?’

‘No, do you know how hard it’d be to fake single for so long? Nah, not likely she’d be with one guy long enough to develop murderous feelings. I’d like to see her phone though.’

‘No phone.’

Thomas looked up sharply. ‘Where is it then? It’s not in her bag?’ 

‘No phone, no bag.’

‘That’s ridiculous. How could a woman this well dressed not have an overnight bag?’

‘Maybe she’s from London?’ Minho seemed confused by that, it was the obvious answer, Thomas should have thought of it.

‘No. Her jacket is too wet, if it was London rain it would have dried by now, last rain was ages ago. So it was heavier and more recent.’

Newt was actually kind of shocked by how much Thomas was getting out of an empty room and a corpse. How did he do that?

‘She’s an adulterer, from out of town. She would always have her phone on her, no way she’s leaving that thing at home accidentally. Means someone either took it or she put it somewhere. And her bag, you’re sure it’s not here?’

‘No phone, no bag, Tomboy.’

‘Don’t call me that.’ Thomas said distractedly, it looked like his mind was moving a mile a minute, his eyes skipping over the room without purpose. ‘I gotta find that bag.’

He quickly moved out of the room, pulling his blue overall off as he walked. Newt and Minho moved behind him more slowly.

‘Thomas!’ Minho called after the boy who was quickly leaving them behind. ‘Where are you going?’

‘They don’t take that poison on their own, but they weren’t forced to either. I don’t know how or why but this isn’t suicide.’ Thomas called, now from a flight down.

‘How do you figure that?’ Minho asked.

‘Her bag! She didn’t just leave it somewhere. Someone has it! Or had it. Look at her, everything matches, her clothes, her nails… her bag. There is a bright pink bag out there somewhere. That’s our clue!’ Thomas was on the ground floor now, blue overalls thrown to the side and racing out the door.

He was gone by time Newt had reached the landing. It was a difficult process, pulling himself out of the overalls without falling over on his weak leg. By time he was done with that and headed out with a short wave at Minho, who waved back with a smile, he couldn’t find Tommy anywhere.

‘He left.’ Called a voice to his side.

It was a boy around their age who could be defined by his eyebrows, which were angular and standout. He had a scowl on his face and a tone to his voice that said he was none too fond of Thomas.

‘He’s gone?’ Newt asked, looking around again as if he’d find Tommy and prove this guy wrong.

‘Yea, he does that. Gets all worked up and excited and just bolts in whichever direction he thinks has answers.’ The boy continued, ‘My name’s Gally, and if you’ve got brains you’ll listen when I say you’re better off staying away from that kid. No sense of anything but finding answers.’

Newt felt strangely defensive of the boy who thought he needed to bring an army captain to a crime scene to protect him from rude comments. ‘Maybe that’s just what this place needs. Answers. We are at a crime scene after all.’

‘That’s true, but he doesn’t always stick by the rules to get his answers. Boy gets in more trouble than he’s worth.’ Gally finished.

Newt didn’t bother answering back, he gave the place one more quick sweep with his eyes and then moved away, hoping he’d be able to find a cab back to his bedsit.


	4. The Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt leaves the scene only to be picked up by a strange black car and taken to meet a stranger. 33.40-40.58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My room stinks of smoke, and I'm ready in case of evacuation, but it gives me plenty of time to write :) 
> 
> My love and hope goes out to those who are being affected by the fires currently burning in SA and Vic Australia.
> 
> To everyone reading this (wherever you're from and whatever you're dealing with): I hope you're safe. xx

Finding a cab was harder than Newt had originally hoped it would be. They weren’t as close to the city as he had thought and that meant the streets were mostly abandoned. He cursed Tommy under his breath for leaving him there all alone.

A payphone to his left began ringing. He looked up sharply, startled by the noise and set on high alert. He told himself to calm down though. This wasn’t a battlefield, not like he was used to anyway, and he didn’t need to be wary of every sound. He passed the phone without missing another step.

Another short walk and Newt heard a phone again. He was passing a laundromat and the payphone inside had started to ring. It made him pause, looking at it. It had to be a coincidence, right, that the pay phones were ringing near him. Who would know where he was or what route he was talking. He was just being paranoid. He shook his head and continued on.

It was the third phone that finally broke his resolve. He was passing the street payphone when it began to ring. He stopped short in front of it and looked around. Was someone following him? It didn’t look like it, he knew when he was being tailed. He reached forwards and grabbed the phone.

It wasn’t until the voice on the other end had said ‘Good evening captain Isaacs.’ That he jumped into the box.

‘Who the buggin hell is this?’ He asked lowly.

‘You’re currently looking at the pizzeria across the road.’ Said the female voice on the other end.

Newt swivelled where he stood, ‘Where are you?’

‘Nowhere near, Mr. Isaacs.’

‘Then how do you know where I’m bloody looking then?’ he kept moving, looking to see if someone might be covertly watching him.

A black car pulled up in front of him with heavily tinted windows. The number plate was simply the letters W-I-C-K-E-D.

‘Get in the car Mr. Isaacs.’ The smooth female voice said.

 _Today I got a flatmate, went to a murder scene and was then kidnapped by a mysterious black car_. Sounded like his next blog entry would be an interesting one, Harriet wouldn’t be bored.

‘Why should I?’ Newt finally answered after waiting to see if someone would get out and force him in.

‘I think you’re smart enough to have figured that out by now, aren’t you?’ The voice answered. And then the phone clicked off.

Newt had two options; first he could not get in the car and hope like hell he’d be able to deal with whatever that caused. Or he could get in the car and hope like hell he’d be able to deal with whatever _that_ caused.

He moved towards the car. At least he wasn’t bored anymore.

There was a boy already sitting in the back of the car, focused completely on his phone. He barely moved when Newt got in, pulling the door shut behind himself.

‘Hey.’ Newt tried.

‘Hi.’ The boy’s reply was short and without any emotion.

‘And you’d be?’ Newt asked.

There was a pause, the boy stopped typing and seemed to think for a second, then he responded, ‘Aris.’

‘Right, Aris… that’s not your real name is it?’

That actually got a smile from the boy, ‘Nope.’

‘Well, I really am Newt.’

‘I knew that already.’ The boy said, continuing to type away at his phone.

He really was creepy. Dark hair, nondescript features and utmost calm when Newt’s whole body was singing with adrenaline and he was ready to jump out of his own skin. His all-knowing demeanour didn’t help and the way he just kept typing away at that phone made Newt want to throw it.

‘So, any use asking why you’ve buggin kidnapped me? Or where we’re bloody going?’ Newt asked.

‘None at all.’

How shocking.

#####

They ended up stopping in front of a big old building. It might have been used as a warehouse a few years ago but it looked empty and disused now. The car pulled all the way into the building, through a roller door in the front. It stood still for a moment or two before Newt climbed out.

There was a female figure up a head and Newt moved towards her, assuming he was about to meet the voice from the other end of the phone. The space was completely empty except a seat to the left, facing the woman.

‘Newt, take a seat. I’m sure your leg will thank you for it.’ She called.

Newt didn’t even look twice at the seat. No way in hell he was about to do anything just cause he was told to by this lady. He looked around, putting on a face of disinterest as best he could.

‘Bloody nice place you got here. You could have just called… but nice place. Dramatic.’ Newt teased.

‘You seem very brave, don’t you? That or very stupid, I haven’t decided yet.’ She replied.

Newt had finally gotten close enough to see her properly. She had dark hair that fell around her shoulders in loose waves and bright blue eyes with deep red lips. She was beautiful, that much was for sure.

‘Slim it. What do you want?’ Newt asked, this wasn’t half as exciting as the thought it would be.

‘You and Tom Greene.’ She started in a very casual tone; it put Newt on edge straight away, ‘What’s that relationship?’

‘We just met. Barely know him. Why?’ Newt answered defensively.

‘And yet you’ve moved in together and now he’s taking you to solve murders? Should I except a happy announcement by the end of the week?’ She smiled slyly and Newt hated it.

‘Maybe.’ He said back in his most serious tone, ‘But I don’t see how that’s your business. Who the shuck are you anyway?’

‘I’m… well Thomas would probably call me his monster, his best enemy. He loves me really though.’ She answered. Well that didn’t tell Newt anything.

Newt’s phone beeped in his pocket. _I need you, now, it’s important-T_. What was that about? And how had Thomas gotten his number?

‘I’m sorry, more important things to do?’ The girl asked, looking somewhat annoyed that Newt had checked his phone. Newt kept his phone in his hand, just to annoy her further.

‘Well this doesn’t rank high on my list right now.’

‘Then let’s make it.’ The girl took a step forwards and Newt took one backwards to counter it. She scowled but continued speaking anyway. ‘If you actually do decide to move in with Tom I’d be more than happy to help lessen the load a little, moneywise.’

Newt’s face scrunched in confusion, ‘Why would you wanna do that?’

‘Because you’d be doing something for me.’ She answered.

‘I doubt I’d be doing anything for you. What do you want?’

‘Information. I wanna know what he’s up to, where he’s going, who he’s meeting. Nothing too invasive, nothing you’d feel bad about, just the general stuff.’

‘No.’ Newt said flatly. There was no way he was becoming a spy for some girl who hadn’t even told him her name.

His phone went off again. _Did I mention it’s very extremely important?-T_ Newt smiled tensely, he wouldn’t spy on Tommy even if he did know this girl’s name. What the hell was Tommy up to? Newt hoped he was alright. He moved to reply but the girl caught his attention again.

‘No? I haven’t even mentioned a figure.’ She stepped closer again, eyeing his phone, but this time Newt held his ground.

‘Don’t bother.’

She scowled deeper but after a moment it smoothed away. ‘You’re quite loyal. Maybe that will be better for him.’

‘There’s a slight difference between loyal and decent. Tommy’s a good kid, you should leave him alone.’ Newt took a step forwards this time, full commander voice in action.

The girl laughed at that. ‘No, you’re definitely loyal. I would stay away if I could. He’s my business though.’

‘He’s his own business.’ Newt said. ‘Can I go now?’

‘I suppose you might as well. Should I expect to see myself mentioned on your blog tonight?’ She looked over at Aris, who had climbed out after Newt and was standing in front of the car silently.

‘Personal Blog of Newt Isaacs.’ Aris called over, never looking up from his phone.

Newt wavered slightly, ‘What, did you google me?’

‘Funny how all of your entries have been the same before yesterday; when you met Tom. I do hope he continues to inspire you. You’re bored Newt, and Thomas can show you a different world. I hope you enjoy it.’

She turned on her heel and walked off through the warehouse, where to, Newt couldn’t say, the place looked empty, what he could see of it. Maybe she was just trying to be dramatic and make an exit. That thought almost made him laugh but he remembered where he was. Home first, then laugh at the absurdity of all this.

Newt’s phone went off again and he looked at it, already in his hand. _Could be dangerous…- T_ Newt sighed, he had best get there before Thomas killed himself following some lead.

He turned back towards Aris who had stepped forwards but never looked up. ‘I’m meant to take you home. Which address should I give the driver?’

Newt looked at his phone and re-read the messages, ‘Seven one five Glade street, but I need to make a quick stop first.’

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like. New chapter in the next few days hopefully.


	5. The Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt goes home to see what Thomas wants and what he's been up to.

Half an hour later Newt was back at Glade Street. He raced up the stairs as quickly as he could manage with his limp. Hopefully Tommy would still be there and not out chasing some lead alone. Newt had known the kid 24 hours and he was already worried about the trouble he could get himself into.

Thomas was in the flat, to Newt’s relief. He was lying on the couch. He looked like he was asleep in fact.

‘What the bloody hell Tommy?’ Newt said-in-a-raised-voice, because he was not yelling. Oh no, if he was yelling it’d mean he’d been worried and he hadn’t been worried at all. There was no need to yell. Just raise his voice a little.

Thomas jolted up on the couch. He flung himself into a crouching position, eyes wide, and held his hands out in defence. When he saw that the loud intruder was just Newt he relaxed back into the couch.

‘Newty.’ Thomas smiled at the blonde.

‘Never call me that. You said you needed me. Said it was important?’ Newt scowled and stepped closer to Thomas.

‘You call me Tommy.’ Thomas tried, Newt scowled, ‘Fine, no Newty. You can keep calling me Tommy though cause I’m the bigger person…’

‘Tommy, you said it was important.’ Newt tired again.

‘Oh, yes!’ Thomas leapt from the couch and rummaged through the, still not clean, desk until he found a piece of paper, ‘Mrs. P. wanted to know if you were staying, and if you are you need to sign the lease.’

Newt stood still for a moment, curling and uncurling his hand by his side. ‘This couldn’t have been done over the bloody phone?’ That reminded him of the dark haired girl.

‘Well, you’d need to sign. I mean I’m sure I could pull off a half decent forgery, it’s best if you just sign though.’ Thomas said, holding out the paper.

Newt stood his ground for a second. He’d thought Tommy was in danger. He’d raced all this way. After of course he’d been kidnapped by someone watching Tommy. This was the most fun he’d had in months; he reached for the lease contract and took it to the desk to sign it.

‘Met a friend of yours.’ Newt muttered looking the papers over, rent really was cheap.

‘A friend?’ Thomas asked, tensing a little. He didn’t have many friends in the force, he really hoped Newt hadn’t come across Gally.

‘Well... She called herself “your monster”.’ Newt responded.

Thomas relaxed immediately. ‘Oh. Her. Did she offer you money to spy on me?’

‘Why am I not surprised that you’re not surprised? Yes she bloody did.’ Newt flipped the page and signed on the dotted line, hardly surprised to see that all his information had already been filled in.

‘Did you take it?’

Newt blinked at him. ‘I like to think even in the short time we’ve known each other you’d have a higher opinion of me. No I buggin didn’t.’

Thomas faltered a little, ‘That’s not what I meant. All I was saying was if you did, we coulda split the fee. I love annoying her.’

Newt laughed to himself, of course that’s what Tommy was thinking. He handed the papers back to Tommy. Thomas looked them over quickly and then smiled like a kid offered a free ice cream, he positively beamed at Newt. They stood like that for a second staring happily at each other.

Then Newt remembered the case Tommy was working on ‘So, roomie, did you find her bag then?’ Newt asked.

Thomas bounced on his toes happily, ‘Yes! Right! I needed you to do that too.’

‘Do what?’

Thomas raced over to a chair and pulled a bright pink overnight case from behind it. He placed in on a coffee table and took the slip out of the contact information pocket and beckoned Newt closer, holding the slip out to him.

‘I need you to text this number for me.’ He said as Newt took the card.

‘You found the bag. How did you find the bag?’ Newt was staring at the bag suspiciously. How the hell had Tommy managed that.

‘Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her, take the bag, then pretend to be working the case to move suspicion.’ Thomas deadpanned.

‘Never said ya did.’ Newt laughed.

‘Good that. Cause I didn’t.'

‘So how’d you find the buggin bag?’ Newt asked again. Getting answers from someone so curious and easily distracted was work.

‘Well... Statistically speaking the murderer was a guy. Personally I wouldn’t be seen dead with this bag, look at it, bright pink, bound to get noticed. So I figured it was chucked out as soon as he noticed he had it. I looked anywhere you could get rid of a bag in the area, only took ten minutes to find. Easy peasy.’ Thomas explained.

‘Yea, well, obviously, why didn’t I think of that?’ Newt said, flummoxed.

‘It’s just the way I think, don’t sweat it.’ Thomas smiled over at Newt, looking quickly down at the paper as if wanting to mention it but also waning to be polite.

‘Why do you need me to text, why not do it yourself?’ Newt wondered, pulling his phone from his pocket.

‘My numbers on the site, might be recognised, best to do it with something not easily found.’ Thomas responded.

Newt stared at him for a moment, wondering whether to argue back before conceding. ‘Right, what am I texting.’

‘”What happened last night, I must have blacked out. Twenty two Northumberland Terrace, please come.”’ Thomas recited.

‘Wait, what?’ Newt asked, hitting the send button despite his confusion. He was starting to just go along with Tommy, expecting he would have a good reason Newt just couldn’t see yet. This might be bad.

Thomas pulled the case over and unzipped it. ‘There’s something about the contents of this case that is impossible.’

Newt looked over into it, ‘What’s that? Looks like a normal overnight bag to me. Clothes, book, toiletries.’

‘But no phone.’ Thomas said, grinning and almost rubbing his hands together in glee.

Newt looked at his own phone. ‘Wait. What did I just do? Who did I just text?’

Thomas clapped his hands together, seemingly pleased that Newt was understanding what he was saying, even though he really wasn’t.

‘Exactly!’ Thomas paused and looked at the phone in Newt’s hand as it started ringing. ‘If she lost it and someone picked it up they wouldn’t care about a text like that. If the killer had it though… he might panic and call.’

Thomas jumped up from his seat and ran to get his coat, throwing a scarf towards Newt while pulling gloves from his pocket.

‘Well, this isn’t exactly how I hoped this would go…’ Thomas said, pulling open the front door, ‘But Newt, how’d you like to go out to dinner with me?’

‘Dinner?’ Newt asked, pulling the scarf around his neck. ‘Shouldn’t we call the police?’

‘Police? No time.’ Thomas responded.

‘But time enough for dinner?’

‘Yea, go stake out Northumberland. I know a nice restaurant across from twenty two, Scorch, owner owes me a favour.’ Thomas smiled hopefully. By far the worst of Tommy’s smiles, how could Newt let him down when he looked like that?

‘You want me to come?’ Newt asked.

‘Yeah, course. I mean,’ Thomas’s tone changed to a teasing one, ‘I could take the skull but people give you the weirdest looks in restaurants.’

‘Gally said this would happen.’ Newt muttered.

‘Gally?’ Thomas tensed again. So newt had met Gally, what had Gally said?

‘Said you run off, searching for answers. Said you don’t always follow rules when you do.’ Newt repeated what Gally had told him earlier. How was that still tonight?

‘And I told you it might be dangerous and you ran up the stairs.’ Thomas eyed his limp.

Newt chuckled shortly, ‘Yea, guess I did. Dinner then?’

Thomas spun happily towards the door and held it open for Newt to pass through. Best flat mate ever!

#####

Newt was surprised when Thomas started walking away from his flat instead of hailing a cab like last time. Thomas noticed Newt’s confusion.

‘It’s only a five minute walk, easier to think out here than in a cab.’ He explained.

‘You really think this guy is gonna go there? Isn’t that a bit dumb for a serial killer?’ Newt asked.

‘Dumb? No. He’s a clever one, I reckon. They’re pretty easy to catch, they want to be.’

That didn’t make sense to Newt at all. ‘What do you mean “want to be”? Why would he want to be caught?’

Thomas smiled over at him again. ‘Everything he’s gotten away with. He wants to take the credit. That’s the problem, brilliant people need recognition.’

‘You mean like you?’ Newt replied sarcastically.

‘You think I’m brilliant?’

‘Of course. I’m cute, you’re brilliant.’ Newt joked, flirted, what was the difference really? Maybe that one was acceptable in this situation and one wasn’t. _Shuck it_.

Thomas blushed deeply. ‘Well, cute Newt, he wants to be caught, and that’s important.’ Thomas gestured around them, ‘We know they were taken now, and we know they were taken from public places like this. Question is: how?’

‘You’re asking me?’ Newt said. ‘You’re the brilliant one. How do you take someone on a busy street?’

‘They had to be taken by someone they trusted, to not make a scene, but none of them were connected. So it’s gotta be someone we all trust. Someone we’d all happily jump in the car with. It’s not December so it’s not Santa…’ Thomas theorised out loud.

‘Could you imagine? Santa the bloody serial killer.’ Newt laughed.

Thomas laughed too, though he had been serious about that Santa comment. ‘I could imagine, but that hardly helps. Here, Scorch, after you.’

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatcha think? I just finished watching Community so my narrators voice is all screwed up :L so I'm sorry if it comes off over dramatic :)


	6. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas and Newt go to dinner. (time stamps will be added later)

Thomas pushed Newt towards a small Italian place they were passing. The teenager at the welcome desk recognised Thomas and quickly walked them towards a table. Thomas thanked him nicely and sat, positioning himself so that he was facing the window.

Newt sat himself down on the other seat, facing away from the window. The teenager picked up a reserved sign from the centre of the table and Newt wondered when Thomas had taken the time to reserve a table, he certainly hadn’t noticed.

Suddenly a large, happy man called over to them ‘Thomas!’

Newt looked at the darker skinned boy approaching them and then back at Thomas who was returning the welcoming smile.

‘Thomas, good to see you. You can have anything on the menu, free of charge, you and the date.’ The new arrival said looking at Newt with a glimmer in his eye, placing a couple of menus on the table.

‘Good to see you too Fry. Food?’ Thomas directed at Newt, he wondered if the blonde was actually even hungry, they had met late, he’d probably already eaten.

‘Date? Is this a date?’ Newt blinked.

Thomas looked at him nervously and shrugged with a small half nod as if to say _it can be_. Well that wasn’t an answer. Newt shook his head to clear the fog that suddenly seemed to build, blinking again.

‘This guy right here,’ Fry cut in, placing an arm around Thomas’s shoulders and looking very pleased, ‘He got me off a murder charge!’

Newt knew what was happening and he was sure Thomas didn’t need a wing man right now. Thomas noticed too but didn’t seem to mind. Thomas liked to brag.

‘Couple years ago I helped Min prove that Fry here was, at the time of this wicked triple homicide, sorry, this _tragic_ triple homicide, in another part of town shop lifting.’ Thomas bragged.

Fry looked a little self-conscious at the mention of the shop lifting but his smile didn’t falter. Newt had to give him points for conviction. ‘He cleared my name.’

‘I mostly cleared your name.’ Thomas corrected.

Fry smiled a bit and looked like he wanted to kick Thomas for ruining his attempts to talk him up. His forehead scrunched and he glanced at Newt who absently looked back at him.

‘I’ll get a candle for the table, ‘ Fry said, ‘More romantic for your date.’

‘A buggin candle...’ Newt said, slightly breathless and still in slight _is this a date_ shock.

Thomas placed a menu nearer to Newt’s hands, ‘You might as well eat, could be here a while.’

Fry came back to place a candle but then left them alone, the welcome boy doubled as a waiter and took Newts order. The pair sat in silence as Newt stared at Tommy and Thomas stared out the window at number twenty two. It wasn’t until Newt had his food that they spoke again.

‘What does “your monster” even bloody mean?’ he said, chewing thoughtfully on his pasta and reflecting on the night.

‘My monster?’ Thomas jolted slightly at the sound of Newt’s voice.

‘Yes. Your monster. People don’t have monsters, not really. Who was it? She was very interested in you.’

‘What kinda boring world doesn’t have monsters?’ Thomas grinned.

‘Our world. Who’d I meet?’ Newt insisted. He was starting to see that sometimes Thomas offered information freely, sometimes it was like pulling teeth.

‘Well what do you have then? If not monsters.’ Thomas dodged.

Newt sighed to himself and took another bite of his food, which was delicious. ‘We just have people. Ones we call shucks and ones we think are slint heads, boyfriends, girlfriends. Just people.’

‘That sounds like no fun at all. Where’s the imagination?’ Thomas glanced away from the window to Newt, cheeky smirk in place.

‘So, she’s not your girlfriend then?’ Newt voiced one of his fears (concerns?).

Thomas scrunched up his face in disgust and that settled that. ‘Girlfriend? No! Don’t have one of those at all.’

‘Boyfriend?’ Newt tried oh so subtly. Surely it would have come up in conversation by now, there had been flirting, maybe it hadn’t though and Newt had to know for sure. Maybe it was Minho and they assumed he’d guess.

‘Not right now. Looking to fill the vacancy?’ Thomas looked away from the window completely this time and wiggled his eyebrows at the blonde.

‘And how do you know I’m not dating?’ Newt said slyly.

Thomas gave him a look, ‘I’m me. But fine, to be sure. Are you dating at the moment Newt Isaacs?’

Newt licked his lips distractedly, glancing at Thomas’s. ‘Yea.’ Thomas’s eyes went wide. ‘Thought this was a date. Look we have a romantic bloody candle and all.’

Thomas laughed in relief and looked back out the window. Whatever he saw there caught his attention and Newt turned to look too. The street looked the same as it had before, nothing caught Newt’s eye. That must be why he was an ex-army captain and Thomas was the detective.

‘Taxi.’ Thomas said in a hushed tone, as if the taxi would hear and run off. _Consulting_ detective.

‘Yeah. What about it?’ The taxi in question was parked in front of twenty two. Newt hadn’t even noticed it. ‘There are taxis everywhere, it’s London.’

‘This one’s pulled over.’ Thomas glanced at Newt excitedly.

‘Looking for a fare?’ Newt reasoned. However as he spoke he realised the taxi wasn’t empty. Someone was sitting in the back seat, looking about suspiciously. ‘You think that’s the guy?’

Thomas stood up abruptly and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, walking towards the door quickly. Newt followed hot on his tail, not wanting Thomas to face a potential killer on his own. Newt looked up just as the passenger of the taxi glanced at Scorch and they caught eyes. Newt’s heart stuttered in his chest as the man turned away and the taxi began to take off.

Thomas was already on the street and was not about to give in so easily. He ran out onto the road, determined to catch the cab. A car, not seeing Thomas’s conviction, ran straight into him but the brunette barely seemed to notice as he used the car's momentum to push himself forwards. Newt, cursing his leg, raced after him, vaulting over the bonnet of the car and throwing an apology back at the driver on behalf of himself and Tommy.

Newt focused on the taxi, pulling away and read the cab number from a distance, memorising it. No way they were catching that cab. Thomas seemed to come to the same conclusion, pulling up short down the alley the taxi had pulled off in. His eyes flickered madly in his head and Newt worried slightly.

‘I got the cab number.’ He said, attempting to calm down his new friend (date?).

‘Good that.’ Tommy answered distractedly.

To Thomas London had always been one big maze. He had memorised every twist and turn of it and knew the best way to get anywhere. Chances were he knew where that cab was headed, based on cab driver logic and road signs.

Thomas ran to the end of the road, with all the speed he could muster. Newt was only just able to keep up with him, glad that the fitness of the army could still kick in, even now months after he’d left the war.

At the end of the road Thomas took a sharp right, barely stopping to think about it. The no through road would mean they’d be heading this way. He bolted up some stairs, a fire escape attached to the side of the building they were running by. _Up onto the roof, across the roof tops, one, two, three, veer left, right turn only, need to get to the floo_ r.

Newt was half a step behind him the entire time, only faltering at the first roof to roof jump and quickly following on to the call of ‘Newt, we’re losing him!’

Thomas’s method of getting to the floor involved jumping off of several landings, getting gradually lower until their feet hit bitumen. Newt just knew his leg was going to pay him back for this later but the rush and excitement of it muted those thoughts for now.

Thomas raced out onto the road again, jumping over yet another car, Newt apologising behind him again. Next was a quick left to avoid a long wait at a bad traffic light and they were almost on him. They raced out at the crossing as the cab drove past and Thomas cursed and rerouted.

‘This way!’ Thomas called over his shoulder.

Newt put all his energy into just running and started towards the cab.

Thomas started running in the opposite direction to the taxi though, which threw Newt off another step.

‘No! _This_ way! _’_

Newt raced after Thomas again. Hoping he wouldn’t lose the boy on a turn now that he had fallen behind ever so slightly.

Right, left, right, left, right, left. To Newt they may as well have been running in circles. They turned left again and Newt heard Thomas growl at a blocked up alley but they powered down the turn, racing along the long backstreet they found themselves in.

One last left, and they burst out on to another main road. Thomas ran straight to the middle of the road and stopped dead. Newt could have screamed at him but then he noticed the cab that had almost hit the brunette. It was the cab from Scorch. Newt finished jogging up to the car and ripped open the passenger door.

‘Police business.’ He gasped at the shocked passenger and driver.

Thomas quickly came round to the door as well, flashing a police badge that was most certainly not his. He took one quick look at the cabin and pulled away. ‘Not him.’

Newt gasped another breath, ‘Not him?!’

‘No. Suitcase, LA, just arrived.’ Thomas gasped back at him.

Newt looked in at the man and saw the luggage Thomas was talking about.

‘Based on route, I’d say first time in London.’ Thomas said, mentally mapping out the remainder of the journey. Thomas smiled scarily at the man, still breathing hard, ‘Welcome to London.’

Newt had to stifle a giggle. ‘Any problems, let us know.’ He said, shutting the door and walking away from the cab.

Thomas giggled a bit at that and Newt laughed along for a second, desperately trying to breath evenly and leaning all his weight on his good leg.

‘So, not a murderer.’ He said, massaging a sore spot near his knee.

Thomas looked at the action cautiously, ‘No. Not a murderer. Being in America is a pretty good alibi.’

‘Pretty bloody good.’ Newt chuckled.

Newt noticed Thomas moving to place his police badge in his pocket and quickly intervened, limping over to steal the item from Thomas’s hands.

‘What is this? Where’d you get it?’ Newt read the name on it aloud, ‘Minho Lee.’

‘Borrowed it. You can have it if you like. I have others at home.’ Thomas said, cheeky as ever.

‘Borrowed…’ Newt laughed again and looked at Thomas. ‘Welcome to London?’

‘Any problems let us know?’ Thomas laughed back at Newt.

Ridiculous, this whole thing was ridiculous. Thomas nudged Newt’s arm and indicated he should look up. A police officer, real one this time, had pulled over the taxi and was looking suspiciously their way. Thomas looked down at Newt’s leg worriedly.

‘Up for another run?’ he asked, concern lacing his words.

Newt massaged a spot again and stood straight, proving it was fine, even if it was hurting like a buggin shank. ‘Ready when you are.’

And they were off again. This time though they were running home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter might be a while, I'm going away for a short time with no internet. Shouldn't be terribly long though :) Let me know what you think so far? Tried to match the run to Tommy's first night in the maze, throw in some MR stuff :L


	7. The Drugs Bust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Thomas get back home to find unexpected guests in their flat. 51.53-1.02.55  
>  (ish I think)

Newt was well and truly out for the count by time they finished jogging home. His leg was hurting like it had on day one and all the army training in the world didn’t stop his chest from burning. The burn he loved, the leg not so much, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Thomas unlocked the front door, glancing at Newt continuously as he did, checking that the blonde was alright. Thomas had been attempting to subtly look over at Newt as often as possible, and for once it stemmed from concern and not his own perverted need to look at Newt. Newt smiled tensely each time he noticed Thomas’s gaze. Wouldn’t do to have Tommy too worried.

They pushed inside quickly as soon as Thomas had the door open and fell against the wall of the hall. Thomas knew Mrs. P. would tell them off for smudging dirt on her nice new wallpaper but he didn’t care. Far too much of his mental capabilities were focused on Newt, for his own perverted reasons again. Newt was breathing hard, a slight sheen of sweat on his skin, eyes blown wide from the adrenaline rush, stretched out to best allow air flow to his lungs. In short he looked amazing.

‘That,’ Newt finally managed, ‘Was the most buggin shucked up thing I’ve done.’

‘And you invaded Afghanistan.’ Thomas replied.

Newt laughed, it was beginning to become routine that Newt laughed at something Thomas had meant in all seriousness. Thomas didn’t mind though. Newt was laughing like it was the funniest thing anyone had ever said to him and after a second of shock Thomas joined in. They leant against the wall, laughing, leaning into each other. Newt could feel Thomas’s shoulder shaking on his. It was nice, firm, the feeling of someone right there having fun with him. Wonderful way to end a date. Speaking of date.

‘Why aren’t we back at the restaurant?’ Newt asked.

‘Oh, they can keep an eye on the place for me. Fry knows the drill.’ Thomas smiled. ‘It was a long shot anyway.’

Newt brow crinkled in confusion, ‘Why’d we go there in the bloody first place then?’

‘Pass some time…’ Thomas smirked towards Newt, ‘Go on a first date.’

‘Ahh yes. Well, as far as dates go, it wasn’t the worst piece of klunk.’ Newt revelled in the way that made Tommy’s eyes light up in joy.

‘Wasn’t the worst?’ Thomas asked, ‘Sure it wasn’t “bloody brilliant”?’

‘Stick to American shank. You’re English accent sucks.’ Newt teased. ‘And yea, end coulda gone different, guess it wasn’t boring though.’

‘I reckon I can think of a way to improve that.’ Thomas took a step away from the wall and towards Newt. He looked at Newt as though seeking permission to get closer, eyes flickering to his mouth quickly and then away.

‘Yea? Let’s see then.’ Newt licked his lips in anticipation as Thomas got slowly closer.

Then Thomas kissed him. Gently, chastely and a little cautiously. That wouldn’t do. Newt raised his hands and placed them on the sides of Tommy’s face, caressing his cheeks and drawing him closer. It was perfect, it was just-

‘Thomas, really.’ Mrs. Paige said sternly, coming out of her flat. ‘In my flat one day and you’ve got police in here and you’re dirtying my wallpaper.’

Thomas would have laughed at the wallpaper comment, _called it_ , but the police bit got in the way.

‘There’s police here? Do you mean Min came past?’ Thomas reluctantly pulled away from Newt.

‘No, I mean there are police, here, right now. One of them may be that Lee boy, I sent them up to your rooms, it’s hardly my job to deal with your problems. I’m not your mother.’ Mrs. P. returned to her flat sharply, still tutting as she went.

Thomas looked at Newt, eyes a little wide and started to bolt up the steps, three at a time. Newt, whose leg was still in a fair amount of pain, hobbled up after him somewhat slower.

Minho was indeed in the flat, looking at the other ten or so officers in the living room helplessly.

‘Hey, Tomboy,’ He said in greeting, ignoring Thomas’s _don’t call me that_ , ‘Sorry about this. Gally…’

‘Gally?’Newt asked.

Thomas was looking around in horror as the officers began overturning boxes and searching through their contents. This was his nice new flat, it wasn’t clean to begin with but now this? Minho was looking at him sympathetically and reprimanded the worst of the mess makers.

‘Hey, that needs to go back exactly as you found it!’ he called.

Gally walked into the living room from the hall and noticed his two new witnesses.

‘Drugs bust.’ He said simply.

‘Drugs?’ Newt looked up at Thomas and back at Gally. ‘This guy? Tommy wouldn’t do drugs.’ Newt looked back at Thomas, question in his eyes.

‘No, I wouldn’t.’ Thomas assured, softly, before raising his voice to the rest of the room, ‘Just because I had those drugs, that one time… that was for a case, you know, saved you shucks a whole lotta work.’

‘Yea, we know.’ Minho intervened, reassuring Thomas that they had appreciated the help, ‘Problem is now Gally has viable cause to go through your things whenever he feels the need.’

Thomas scowled, ‘So what? You threaten me with a drugs bust every time you want information?’

‘Isn’t a threat if you’ve got nothing to hide Greene.’ Gally called, walking back towards the kitchen where someone had just let out a disgruntled cry.

‘Sir, I think these are human eyes!’ called a young officer.

Thomas looked aghast, ‘Put those back!’

He looked over at Newt quickly who after giving the bottle of what did, indeed, look to be humans eyes a wary glance simply let his own eyes wander all the other junk piles being made in their flat. Once again Newt surprised him with his impassive opinion of something other people might balk at. Other people like the young officer who was looking at him like he was crazy.

‘They were in the microwave.’

Newt flinched a bit at that but Thomas assumed that was more to do with sanitary reasons. ‘Which I intend to clean once that test is finished. I have all the proper papers for those, I’d find them but someone wrecked my flat.’

Thomas glared at Gally before turning his puppy dog eyes towards Minho.

Minho sighed. ‘If it makes you feel better we found Rachel.’

That did perk Thomas up a little, ‘Yes?’

‘She’s Jenifer’s only daughter.’ Minho elaborated.

‘Her daughter? Why did she scratch her name into the floor? What’s her daughter got to do with it?’ Thomas mused aloud, half to himself, half demanding answers from everyone around him.

Gally walked back in. ‘It doesn’t matter about her daughter. We found her bag. Her bag a certain hack told us the killer must have taken, same hack who ends up with the bag in their living room.’

Thomas glared at Gally again. Newt had to say that despite Tommy’s best efforts Gally’s eyebrows gave him an edge in the dagger competition. It was easy to tell there was no love lost between these two.

‘I found the bag.’ Thomas growled.

‘And who can attest to that?’ Gally retorted.

Thomas turned his back on Gally angrily. Gally caught Newt’s eye and gave him a look that said _I told you so_. Newt stared defiantly back. This guy wouldn’t be a single step closer to figuring anything out, at least Tommy was trying.

‘Have you called the daughter in?’ Thomas was asking Minho, while Newt and Gally had their silent war.

‘She’s dead.’ Gally spat, which made Newt blink and look at Thomas in confusion. What did that mean?

Apparently Thomas didn’t know either though, ‘What do you mean dead? Is there any connection to the other victims?

‘I doubt it. Still born, dead fourteen years.’ Gally informed him.

Thomas froze in place for a moment, stunned by that. ‘Why would someone write the name of their still born child on the floor?’

‘You mean why would she, in her last moments, think of her only child? Is it really that difficult to figure out?’ Gally scoffed.

‘But she didn’t just think about her daughter. She scratched her name into the floor. That woulda hurt like shuck.’ Thomas started pacing up and down the centre of the room, never venturing far from Newt though.

‘It’s poison, right? That they take themselves?’ Newt tried. He went on, encouraged by a nod from Thomas, ‘Maybe he talks to them. Maybe he used her daughter somehow?’

Thomas, who had been looking carefully at Newt, grimaced and turned away. ‘Her daughter died fourteen years ago. I doubt it would be enough to get a person to kill themselves this far on. She’s in the media, she’s not gonna have a mental disorder. If she did we’d already know.’ Thomas looked suddenly at Minho, ‘Do we know about her mental health?’

‘She’s fine, all checks out.’ Minho told him.

‘So she’s fine.’ Thomas looked at Newt, staring into his eyes hard, ‘Why did she write her daughter’s name? If you were dying, in your last moments, what would you think?’

‘Oh shuck, let me live.’ Newt said softly.

‘Boring, use your imagination.’ Thomas rolled his eyes but then paused, realising that Newt had tensed.

‘I don’t have to.’ Newt shuffled on his feet, letting his weight rest more heavily on his good leg as his bad one ached at the memory.

Thomas’s eyes went down to Newt’s movement, this time regarding the injured leg with a bit more respect. Obviously the shot had been bad enough to cripple Newt, he hadn’t considered it threatening his life. Must have been a damned good shot.

‘Sorry.’ Thomas whispered under his breath, spinning away from Newt and trying to get his thoughts back on track before he lost himself completely in the blonde. ‘She was clever, being murdered, wrote a name. She was trying to tell us something. What?’

Mrs. P. walked into the room, glancing over the mess with only the slightest twitch of her eye. ‘Thomas, there is a taxi here for you.’ Then with a glower at Gally, ‘I expect this place to be tidied before you leave.’

Gally threw his hands up in exasperation and walked back into the kitchen to supervise his officers in there and get away from the strict older woman. Minho chuckled softly under his breath, reassuring Mrs. P. the place would be spick and span.

‘I didn’t order a taxi.’ Thomas said after revelling a moment in Gally’s discomfort. He knew he loved Mrs. P. for a reason.

‘Well you can go tell it to leave then.’ Mrs. P. said, turning and leaving abruptly headed, Newt guessed, for her own flat. Newt was beginning to like the old lady a bit.

Thomas pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen for a moment, looking for answers. Suddenly he stilled.  ‘Oh! That’s it!’

Newt was confused once more, but at least he wasn’t the only one this time everyone else in the room looked to be on the same page as him. ‘What’s it?’

Thomas walked quickly over to the case again and picked up the little contact information sheet, reading it over. ‘She was a smart one. Never lost her phone, not our Jennifer, no.’

‘But she didn’t have her phone on her.’ Gally called from the kitchen.

‘No. She didn’t.’ Thomas looked up expectantly at the group, grin firmly plastered on his face. When everyone continued to stare blankly at him his shoulders fell a little, as if disappointed by the world around him. ‘She didn’t lose her phone, but she didn’t have it either. She planted it, on her killer, to lead us to him.’

‘GPS?’ Newt asked.

‘What does that have to do with Rachel?’ Minho followed.

Thomas ran a hand through his hair in frustration. ‘Really guys? Fine. You can’t just look up the GPS of anyones phone. But her phone,’ Thomas held up the contact slip, ‘Was a smart phone. It was email enabled and we have her password.’

‘Rachel.’ Newt whispered.

‘Rachel.’ Thomas repeated, nodding at him.

Thomas went to the desk, covered in papers, and after a few seconds of digging came up with a laptop. He placed the computer on a clear space and opened up a browser. Using the card he typed in Jennifer’s email in the username section and typed in Rachel to the password box.

The site denied access and Thomas grumbled under his breath. Minho, who had drawn closer as Thomas worked stepped back again, disappointed.

‘Try Rachel00.’ Newt suggested.

Thomas typed it in and let out a cry of joy when the webpage changed into the phone’s dashboard. ’00?’

‘Year she would have been born.’

Thomas beamed at him like he was the most precious thing in the world. It made Newt feel over the moon, that gaze directed at him. Thomas clicked to the GPS and a map began loading, a buffering symbol letting them know it was searching for the phone.

Newt noticed Mrs. P. in the door way again, taxi driver behind her. The pair both looked rather impatient but Thomas was not being distracted from this now that he was making proper progress.

The page stopped loading, arrow over the location of the phone.

‘Tommy… That’s here.’ Newt said, once again not understanding.

‘Yes I see that. That’s not possible.’ Thomas moved away from the laptop and started pacing again while Newt hit the refresh button.

‘Maybe it fell outta the bag when you opened it?’ Minho suggested. ‘Guys, be on the lookout for a phone.’

‘And I didn’t see it?’ Thomas asked, sounding offended.

‘Besides, when we text the bloody thing he called back.’ Newt helped.

‘Who do we all trust without knowing? Enough to get in a car with.’ Thomas asked, pacing up and down.

It was on his way back towards newt that he saw it. The man in his doorway, the taxi driver. He looked at the man’s ID number, trying not to draw attention to the action. Same number as the taxi from before, Newt hadn’t been the only one looking at that.

Thomas spun at the end of his walk and paced back, thinking things through in his head. He could call attention to the man. The phone was on the killer, the man was in his flat, the man was the killer. Why did he come here though? Thomas’s curiosity burned inside him.

Thomas felt his phone vibrate from where he had placed it in his pocket. _Come with me_ was the simple text he had received. He reached the other end of his walk and spun again, towards the driver again.

Newt seemed to notice the sudden quiet and looked over his shoulder at Thomas curiously. ‘You alright Tommy?’

‘Yea fine.’ Thomas answered, knowing it wasn’t very convincing but hoping that having only known him a short while Newt wouldn’t pick up on it. ‘This is just getting to my head. I’m gonna grab a breath of air for a second.’

The taxi driver turned and walked down the steps. Thomas grabbed his jacket from a chair and assured Newt once more that he was fine before following the man down the stairs.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't checked this over (watching MR and it's very distracting, especially Newt, damn you Sangster) so let me know about any errors I've stupidly made.


	8. The Taxi Driver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas goes along with the cab driver.

 

Newt watched as Thomas left the room and started down stairs. He didn’t understand what was going through the detectives head but if Tommy needed to get out for a moment then Newt wasn’t going to be the one who stopped him.

Newt grabbed his phone from his pocket and punched the redial button on his last message. Maybe they’d find the phone if they could hear it. There was no way it could be in their flat, no way that made sense, unless the killer had placed it there. Or was there, Newt looked cautiously about the room.

Minho misread Newt’s look and decided they had all better leave this poor man to his now trashed flat. ‘Alright shanks, we’re not gonna find anything here tonight. Pack up, we’re going.’

Newt nodded his appreciation, walking to the window to see if he could spot Thomas on the pavement below. He could see Tommy, he was talking to the cab driver who had been up outside the door earlier. Thomas’s shoulders were tense but the rest of his demeanour seemed relaxed. Newt would have laughed at the slight bounce in Thomas’s step when he moved forwards.

Except then Thomas was climbing into the back of the cab and Newt frowned.

‘He’s leaving.’ He said to no one in particular. Why was he leaving? Where was he going? Newt looked back at Minho, ‘He just got in a buggin cab.’

 ‘Maybe he thought of something.’ Minho replied, looking sympathetically at Newt, ‘Thomas forgets everything when he’s on case mode. Don’t worry about it.’

‘Shank left?’ Gally said, reappearing, scowl firmly in place though not looking at all surprised. ‘This place is no shuck use anyway. Did we find the phone?’

‘I’m calling it now.’ Newt said, raising the phone to his ear, he could hear the dial tone. ‘Should be ringing.’

‘Well if it is, it’s not here.’ Minho gestured at the room which, apart from the sound of papers being placed back in their homes, was silent.

‘I’ll try the bloody GPS again.’

‘Don’t bother.’ Gally declared, sounding exasperated.

He turned back to the group of officers and called one over. Everybody was finished popping the place back in a semi organised manner, nowhere near as tidy as it had been before but Newt could do with the strangers out of his flat so he didn’t bother complaining. After talking quickly with the officer, giving her orders about what they were to do next, Gally turned and walked out of the flat, stomping down the stairs.

Newt and Minho watched him go, neither really bothering to say goodbye. Newt had decided he didn’t like the guy and Minho knew better than to try anything while Gally was annoyed, which meant whenever Gally was forced to work with Thomas.

‘Hey, here’s my number,’ Minho said, scrawling on a piece of paper and handing it to Newt, ‘Let me know if you ever need something. Thomas can be quite the handful.’

With a thank you and a last wave goodbye Minho and the last of the officers in the flat left and the place was empty once more.

#####

Thomas had been uncertain about going with the cab driver from Glade street. His curiosity had battled his common sense though and of course his need to know had won. The man had said he was quite willing to confess to the murders if Thomas called the police down from his flat and arrested the man. He had also said Thomas would never find out how he had made the victims, of their own will, take the poison.

It would be enough to catch this man and show everybody how clever Thomas had been. It would be even better to know the full answers to the mystery of these killings. So Thomas had, with one last look up to the flat, gotten into the cab and allowed himself to be driven off.

Another thing that caught Thomas’s attention was how much this man seemed to know about him. It was rare for a person to know more about him then he did about them. This guy knew Thomas’s name, his business, how he thought. Who was he?

‘How did you know who I am?’ Thomas asked.

The man chuckled, ‘Oh, I recognised yer, soon as I saw you chasing my cab. Thomas Greene! I was warned about you. I’ve been on your website, too. Brilliant stuff! Loved it!’

Thomas felt as if maybe now wasn’t the time to feel complimented, but that didn’t stop him from loving the appreciation. ‘Thanks… What do you mean warned? Who by?’ Thomas couldn’t think of anyone who would think he was enough trouble to _warn_ someone of him. Well, maybe his monster but she didn’t deal with low life serial killers. High class, paid killers yes, cab driving murderers no.

‘Just someone out there who’s noticed you.’ The man replied coyly.

He really knew how to press Thomas’s buttons. Now he was bursting with curiosity. Who had noticed him? ‘Yea, but who? Who would notice _me_?’

‘You’re too modest Mr. Greene.’

Thomas laughed, there was a first for everything. ‘You’re the only one who thinks so.’

‘You’ve got yourself a fan.’ The man continued, barely acknowledging that Thomas had spoken.

‘I have plenty of fans.’ Thomas replied, modestly. ‘Which one do you know?’

‘That’s all you’re gonna know.’

Thomas honestly felt a little let down by that. Why work up this mystery fan of his and not give him an answer. It was both rude and annoying.

The cab pulled over then and Thomas looked out his window. ‘Will you tell me where we are at least?’

The driver laughed again, they really were getting on well for all it was worth, ‘You know every street in London. You know exactly where we are.’

That was true, they were at a further education college just ten minutes away from the flat, if your driving skills weren't as bad as this guys. Thomas had been hoping to get some traction on the whole actually-answering-questions thing though; so that he might swing back around to his mystery fan and get a proper answer. It was a strategy that worked plenty with Minho and Jorge.

‘Yea, fine, I know where we are. Why are we here?’ Thomas tried a question again.

This time he got an answer that was half decent. ‘It’s open; cleaners are in. One thing about being a cabbie: you always know a nice quiet spot for a murder. I’m surprised more of us don’t branch out.’

‘Interesting career option I guess. Though killer cabbie is a bit overdone.’ Thomas continued to sit in the car as the cabbie walked around and opened his door. ‘What now? How do you get them to go inside from here?’

The driver pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it squarely at Thomas’s chest.

‘Ahh. Well, not very creative but I guess it gets the job done.’ Thomas complained. He really had thought this would be worth the trouble.

‘Don’t worry, it gets better.’ The driver reassured, sensing that Thomas was getting bored.

It wasn’t that being threatened with a gun was boring, it was just that Thomas had expected more and was being quickly let down.

‘Gets better than forcing people to kill themselves at gun point? How does that even work, they already think they’re gonna die, how does pointing a gun at them help?’ Thomas stayed seated in the car.

The man wavered for a second. ‘I don’t, it’s much better than that.’ He lowered the gun and placed it back in his pocket. ‘Don’t need this with you, cause you’ll follow me.’

Thomas was tempted to stay in the car, prove the man wrong. He was walking away though and the college they had stopped at was rather big. He should get moving now unless he wanted to lose him. Shuck. Thomas scrambled out of the cab and took a few quick steps after the driver to catch up. He could almost feel the smirk he couldn’t see on the other man's face.

#####

Newt was staring at the now empty flat wondering what to do. After a minute or two he decided that the place could do with a quick clean, not much, maybe just the kitchen. He walked into the room and looked about for a place to start. Maybe he should try clear all the papers in the flat to one place instead, then Tommy could go through them when he got back.

He sighed, this was gonna take some effort. Compared to going back to his boring bed sit though, where he’d eventually have to move out of and into the suburbs, this really did win. It had been one day and Newt had already had the most fun in months. And he felt like he had a real connection with Tommy too. They got on so easily and that kiss in the hall had been perfect, well it could have been even better if they weren't interrupted.

Could you live with someone you were dating? Flat mates started dating all the time and couples moved in together daily. Newt and Thomas had only just met each other though and they were becoming a couple _and_ flatmates all at once. Newt wasn’t sure how well that’d turn out.

He’d have his own room though and he could carve out his own space in the flat. It would work. Newt would make it work. He liked Tommy and he liked this place with all its weird body parts in the microwave ( _what?!_ ) and the skull on the mantelpiece. This was just what he needed.

A chime distracted him from his thoughts and he put down the box he had been carrying to look over at Tommy’s laptop again. It had finished loading where the mobile was currently. And it wasn’t at the flat anymore.

Newt was in his jacket and on his way down stairs in seconds. He had to get to Tommy. Now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cab drivers lines are straight from Sherlock script so all credit goes to Moffat. 
> 
> Thanks for the encouraging comments, they make my day. :)


	9. The Game of Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas finds out about the taxi driver's little game and Newt races to reach them.

The driver had been silent leading Thomas through the halls of the college, except for answering one last question ‘what’s your name?’ _Jeff Hope_. Thoms wasn't complaining though, the silence gave him plenty of time to think things through, curse himself for being so predictable and wonder what Newt was up to at home. Thomas had left suddenly, had Newt left too or stayed at the flat? Would he want to stay after the last 24 hours? He’d had a crash course in ‘Life with Thomas 101’ and not all of It was fun.

The silence was broken when the cabbie, Jeff, had opened a door and gestured Thomas through a head of him.

‘Well, what do you think?’ Jeff asked.

‘What do I think about what?’ Thomas replied, looking around at his surroundings. They were in a long section of what looked to be library space. There were bookshelves on one side, computers on the other and long desks running up the centre of the space.

‘It’s up to you. You’re the one who’s gonna die ’ere.’ Jeff sneered.

Thomas scrunched up his face a little, turning back to look at the cabbie. ‘Nice try at being scary but I’m really not.’

‘That’s what they all say.’ The cabbie gestured towards the chairs around the bench, pulling out one and sitting on it himself, ‘Shall we talk?’

Thomas took a seat opposite the man and rested his elbows heavily on the table, leaning forwards. This was where it was meant to get interesting. The driver had said earlier that he didn’t kill the people, he talked to them and then they killed themselves. Hearing the question immediately intrigued Thomas. Here came the fun part.

‘You’re gonna get caught. You know that right?’ Thomas asked, resting his chin on a fist. ‘There were police all over my apartment, not all of them idiots, and Mrs. P. has quite the memory.’

‘You call that a risk? Nah.’ Jeff said, ignoring the threat. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bottle placing it on the surface between them, ‘This is a risk.’

Thomas looked at the bottle; clear glass, a nondescript white pill inside… the poison used to kill the victims. He supposed you could call poison a risk.

‘Ooh, I like this bit.’ Jeff said, continuing on, ‘Cause you don’t get it yet, do yer? But you’re about to. I just have to do this.’

Jeff then reached into his pocket on the other side and pulled out another bottle identical. Thomas shifted in his seat. What was he supposed to be getting? That this guy was prepared to kill two people? That hardly seemed surprising; he’d already killed a few.

‘I don’t get it.’ Thomas admitted, prompting the man for more information.

 ‘You weren’t expecting that, were yer?’

‘Expecting what? Two bottles? What’s so special about that.’

‘Ooh, you’re going to love this. Thomas Greene. Look at you! ’Ere in the flesh. That website of yours: your fan told me about it.’ He sat back in his seat, bottles left on the desk in front of him.

 There was that word again, this man was infuriating. Thomas tried for answers again. ‘My fan?’  

The driver simply ignored him. ‘You are brilliant. You are. A proper genius. “Detective Greene.” Now that is proper thinking. Between you and me sitting ’ere, why can’t people think?’ He looked angry now, that was interesting. ‘Don’t it make you mad? Why can’t people just think?’

Thomas and he looked at each other for a moment, staring silently. It didn’t make Thomas mad when people didn’t understand, unless it was Gally, people just needed it to be explained properly. This guy seemed furious that some people weren’t as smart as him. _As smart as him_.

‘Oh, yea I see now. Stupid of me, really, to not guess that you’re a proper genius.’ Thomas did try to keep some of the sarcasm out of his voice, it didn’t work at all though, which just managed to rile up his adversary more.

‘Don’t look it, do I? Funny little man drivin’ a cab. But you’ll know better in a minute. Chances are it’ll be the last thing you ever know.’ The driver almost growled the end of his sentence, but then he stopped and a pleasant smile formed on his face.

Right. ‘Alrighty, whatever you say then. You gonna explain this bottles thing to me or…’

Jeff looked irritated at his flippancy but continued to smile, ‘There’s a good bottle and a bad bottle. You take the pill from the good bottle, you live; take the pill from the bad bottle, you die.’ He explained.

‘Huh, and both the bottles are exactly the same.’ Thomas mused aloud.

‘In every way.’ Jeff answered.

‘And you know which one’s gonna kill me and which isn’t.’ Thomas concluded.

‘Course I know.’ The cabbie replied.

‘And I don’t.’ Thomas studied the bottles looking for any difference at all, there really wasn’t one.

 ‘Wouldn’t be a game if you knew. You’re the one who chooses.’ Jeff smiled.

‘Yea about that, why should I choose? I got nothing to go on here and either way you’re still sitting just there. What’s in it for me?’ Thomas looked away from the bottles and at Jeff, studying his face, looking for any sort of tell.

’I ’aven’t told you the best bit yet.’ The smile morphed into a sick grin, ‘Whatever bottle you choose, I take the pill from the other one – and then, together, we take our medicine.’

Thomas started to smile a little too at that, just a small lifting of the corner of his mouth. Now that _was_ motivating. if he were a gambling man he'd love this.

‘I won’t cheat.’ Jeff assured. ‘It’s your choice. I’ll take whatever pill you don’t. Didn’t expect that, did you, Mr. Greene?’

Thomas looked back to the bottles again, concentrating on them hard, looking for the slightest difference, anything. ‘So this is what you do? Give people a choice?’ 

‘And now I’m givin’ you one. You take your time. Get yourself together.’ Jeff licked his lips in anticipation, ‘I want your best game.’

Thomas chocked out a short laugh at that. ‘Game? This isn’t a game. The whole thing is chance.’

‘I’ve played four times. I’m alive. It’s not chance, Mr. Greene, it’s chess. It’s a game of chess, with one move, and one survivor. And this ... this ... is the move.’

Jeff reached out and pushed one of the bottles forwards, towards Thomas. Thomas looked at the hand in surprise. What was he doing?

‘Did I just give you the good bottle or the bad bottle? You can choose either one.’ Jeff smiled widely and placed his hands up under his chin, prepared to wait for Thomas’s decision.

#####

Newt had, thankfully, been able to grab a cab within minutes of leaving the flat, the pleasures of living near the middle of a city like London. He’d all but shouted the address from the phone at the cabbie and offered the man double his fare if he could get Newt there quickly. It made for a wild ride but if he was right about Tommy then he needed to get there quickly.

He’d also pulled out his phone as they careened around the streets of London to call for backup. He still had Minho’s card in his pocket from earlier. Minho picked up on the fourth ring.

‘Wow, living with Tom is bad but I didn’t think I’d be getting a call til at least tomorrow.’ Minho had laughed when he answered and heard Newt’s voice.

‘Well something came up. It’s an emergency, I think Tommy’s in trouble.’ Newt had quickly responded.

He had Minho’s attention at that and the Asian cop listened to him carefully as Newt explained what was going on.

#####

‘You ready yet, Mr. Greene? Ready to play?’ Jeff prompted after a minute.

‘Still not a game.’ Thomas replied, not looking up from the bottles, ‘The chances are fifty-fifty.’

‘You’re not playin’ the numbers, you’re playin’ me. Did I just give you the good pill or the bad pill? Is it a bluff? Or a double-bluff? Or a triple-bluff?’

Thomas rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed, ‘Like that makes a difference? Still not a game, still up to chance.’

‘Four people in a row? It’s not just chance.’ Jeff gloated.

‘Well, maybe you’re a lucky guy.’ Thomas narrowed his eyes, this guy thought of those other people as nothing but entertainment. It was horrible.

‘It’s genius. I know ’ow people think. I know ’ow people think I think. I can see it all, like a map inside my ’ead.’ Jeff explained. Thomas didn’t buy it for a second. ‘Everyone’s so stupid – even you.’

‘Hey!’ Thomas called, offended at the statement and looking up to glare at the cabbie.

‘Or maybe God just loves me.’ Jeff smiled at Thomas, as if to apologise for calling him an idiot.

#####

The cabbie did in fact get Newt to the address at top speed. _Educational College_. Why here? Newt wondered about that for all of a second before remembering he had more important things to do. This was the place but the map pointer had been vague so he’d have to find the room Thomas was in himself. he hoped the college wasn’t too twisty, maybe it was full of lecture halls, easy to check. That was a ridiculous hope.

The only thing for it was to run at a door and hope he got the right one soon. He picked a direction and ran for it, limp forgotten for the second time that day as he made his way after Thomas.

#####

Thomas was looking at the bottles still. Really there was nothing, they were identical in every way. How was he meant to guess this? Something Jeff has said earlier caught in his mind. _You’re not playing the numbers, you’re playing me._ That was an interesting idea. Thomas looked back up again.

‘So, you risked your life four times just to kill strangers. Why?’ Thomas asked.

Jeff looked back down at the bottles, motioning that Thomas should pay attention to them, not him. ‘Time to play.’

Thomas leant back a little, sitting more comfortably and slinging an arm over the back of his seat, moving away from the pills. ‘This is me playing. You said it was my turn.’ Thomas stopped for a moment to really look at the man. Time to play detective, that was his job after all. What was first, motivation. So why would you risk your life to kill others? Loneliness?

‘You suck at shaving, you missed a few spots. There’s one spot in particular, looks quite long, so you missed it more than once. When I miss a spot someone at home tells me.’ Thomas ran a hand over his own smooth chin. ‘So I’m guessing you live alone.’

Jeff shifted in his seat, running a hand over his own chin and rubbing at the spot Thomas had mentioned.

‘There was a picture though.’ Thomas clearly remembered the picture in the cab, on the dash. it was of two kids and had been folded so you couldn’t see who was with them, the picture had looked old and a little faded. ‘You have a picture of kids in your cab. It’s an old picture, makes me guess they’re not grandkids but your kids. You can’t see who’s with them though. Only reason you’d cut someone out is cause you don’t like em much so I’m guessing their mum divorced you.’

That really made Jeff wiggle and he was starting to scowl. Good, let him be uncomfortable. He’d killed people, he didn’t deserve comfort. Time to make it worse, now came the real guess work, one step wrong and Thomas would be in trouble of losing all the work he’d done putting the first part together.

‘So you’re a shitty dad that wishes he could see his kids more. That’s not the end of it. Look at you, your clothes. They’re nicely kept but none of it is new, in fact it looks pretty old, I’d say, going by the style, three years?’ A flinch made Thomas want to fist pump but he held it back, ‘So you’re clothes are nice and clean but you’re not buying for the future. You’re killing people for no good reason...’

Suddenly it all slotted together in Thomas’s head. Not loneliness, fear. Why risk your life to kill others? Unless you didn’t expect it to be long enough to be worth buying a new jacket.

‘You’re dying.’ Thomas finished.

‘So are you.’ Jeff retorted and Thomas could see him fight to regain his composure.

‘Yea… but I’ll be here longer than you. You don’t have long. I’m right aren’t I?’ Thomas smiled triumphantly. Until of course Jeff started to smile again, as though he’d stopped caring about what Thomas was saying. Damn.

‘Aneurism.’ He lifted a hand and tapped at the side of his head. ‘Right in ’ere. Any breath could be my last.’

‘So of course the only sensible thing to do with your spare time is kill people.’ Thomas deadpanned.

‘I’ve outlived four people. That’s the most fun you can ’ave on an aneurism.’ Jeff smiled a little brighter.

That was a sick perspective. Thomas was beginning to feel uneasy, this guy was so far off the rails he probably didn’t know what the tracks looked like any more. There was something else though, something irritating Thomas.

‘So what? You’re mad at all these people for being healthy? Scared of dying?’ Thomas shook his head. ‘It’s a start but that can’t be it. Love is a stronger motivator than hate or fear… Is it your kids?’

‘You are good, ain’t you?’ Jeff looked away slightly. Once again the urge to fist pump almost overpowered Thomas, damn he was good some days, where was Minho to see this?

‘You’re kids… how?’

‘When I die, they won’t get much, my kids. Not a lot of money in driving cabs.’ Jeff explained.

‘I didn’t realise murderers made a mint.’ Thomas interrupted.

‘You’d be surprised.’

‘Go on then, surprise me.’

‘I ’ave a sponsor.’ Jeff started explaining again. ‘For every life I take, money goes to my kids. The more I kill, the better off they’ll be. You see? It’s nicer than you think.’

Thomas’s mind began reeling. The was crazy. Wasn’t it? This guy couldn’t be telling the truth. Could he?

‘Who’d sponsor a serial killer?’ Thomas frowned.

Jeff’s reply was instant and made Thomas’s skin crawl. ‘Who’d be a fan of Thomas Greene? You’re not the only one to enjoy a good murder. There’s others out there just like you, except you’re just a man ... and they’re so much more than that.’

Thomas suddenly hated himself for his weird fascination with murder scenes. He consoled himself with the knowledge that he’d never go so far as to make one just for his own entertainment. He’d never kill someone. He liked the puzzle, he liked finding the killer, putting them behind bars and making sure they’d never kill again.

‘More than a man?’ Thomas said after taking a moment to steady himself, ‘What’s that mean? Is he head of an organisation or?’

‘There’s a name no-one says, an’ I’m not gonna say it either. Now, enough chatter.’ He looked back down at the bottles, ‘Time to choose.’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again the cab driver's lines are straight from the Sherlock scrpit so credit goes 221% to Moffat :)
> 
> Hope you liked this update, sorry if it was too talky :L


	10. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt finds Thomas, but is it too late to save him from his own curiosity?

Newt was trying his best to keep down his rising panic. He had run through at least four long corridors, checking each room as he went. Not lecture theatres, tiny study rooms with more study rooms branching off of them. This place was a bloody maze!

‘Tommy.’ he called.

No response, he wasn’t really expecting one. Newt continued to run down his current path, ripping a door open and looking inside. He stepped into the room looked the place over, sunk to his knees to check under the desks. When he was sure there was nothing he stood again on his reluctant leg and took off. He had to find Thomas. He had to.

‘Tommy!’

#####

The fingers on Thomas’s hand were twitching. He could just pick a bottle. See what happened. Or he could act like a sane person and not.

‘And what happens if I just get up and walk away? I don’t _have_ to choose either.’ Thomas asked. Jeff sighed heavily, as if disappointed that his game wasn’t working, that made Thomas happy.

With a small frown Jeff raised the gun again, pointing it squarely between Thomas’s eyes. ‘You can take your fifty-fifty chance, or I can shoot you in the head. Funnily enough, no-one’s ever gone for that option.’

Thomas smiled. He wasn’t exactly new at this murder business. It was important for him to know about guns. And what he knew had him confident.

‘Well then, if you’re offering, I suppose I’ll chose the gun.’ Thomas smiled cheekily over the desk.

‘Are you sure?’ Jeff asked with the same disappointed frown.

‘One hundred and ten percent.’

‘You don’t wanna phone a friend?’ Jeff tired.

‘Who? Min? He’d agree with me. The gun.’ Thomas said, surely and finally.

Jeff shrugged sadly and slowly pulled the trigger back. Thomas didn’t even flinch at the click it made when a small fire flared out the muzzle end. Thomas knocked his fist on the desk happily. Like he’d thought. The gun wasn’t weighted properly, judging by the way Jeff was holding it. Plus he didn’t recognise the model. It was just a fancy looking lighter.

‘You think I don’t know a real gun when I see one?’ Thomas crowed.

‘None of the others did.’ Jeff lowered the gun to the table calmly.

Thomas scowled at that comment. ‘Well, fun as this has been I think I’m leaving.’ Thomas stood up, ready to leave but couldn’t help one last retort. ‘You’ll rot for this.’

Thomas walked over to the door. This had been interesting but really it was time to end the game now. He reached into his pocket for his phone, ready to call Minho. He reached for the handle as he searched Minho’s number.

‘Just before you go,’ Jeff called, ‘Did you figure it out?’

Thomas stopped and turned back slightly, knowing he shouldn’t even respond, damn his curiosity. ‘Figure what out?’

‘Which one’s the good bottle?’ Jeff gestured at the bottles.

‘Sure I did, you’re pretty easy to read.’ Thomas replied.

‘Well, which one, then?’ Jeff called more urgently as Thomas turned to leave again, ‘Which one would you ’ave picked, just so I know whether I could have beaten you?’

Thomas’s shoulders stiffened. Beaten him? No way. Thomas was on a roll tonight, everything he’d tried he’d gotten correct. The door drifted shut away from his hand.

‘Come on. Play the game.’ Jeff chuckled.

He should go. He should grab the door handle again and leave. He could go back home, see if Newt was still there, see if Newt would still be moving in or if he’d taken the contract to burn. He wondered briefly if Newt would want to go on another date with him. He’d been pretty clever tonight, he had plenty to brag about and he’d love to brag to Newt, watch his face light up in admiration.

Slowly Thomas started back towards the desks. He could get this. This was child’s play. It was obvious which bottle to choose. It had been obvious for the last five minutes. He reached the desk and swept the bottle closer to Jeff off the table, lifting it to the light as if to see the answer written on it somewhere.

 ‘Oh. Interesting.’ Jeff, true to his word, picked up the other bottle.

#####

Newt was breathing hard. His physical therapist was going to have a field day with him. His leg was going to be out of order for a buggin month. None of the doors he tried had Thomas behind them. None of them!

#####

Jeff unscrewed his bottle, pulling the pill out and holding it loosely. Thomas did the same, taking the pill and holding it to the light again, looking through it as if it would make any difference. He’d made his choice, nothing on the pill seemed to indicate it had been the wrong one.

‘So what d’you think? Shall we?’ Jeff asked, standing to face Thomas better, ‘Really, what do you think? Can you beat me? Are you clever enough to bet your life?’

#####

Door after door after door. No, no, no. No! Newt turned down a corridor once more, just another left in a long series of them. It was there he spotted him, at the end of the corridor. Newt put an extra burst of speed into his run, sprinting the last fifty meters.

There he was. There was Tommy. Just there. Through the buggin window in the other bloody building! Newt could feel his breath come out a bit more shakily. Tommy wasn’t alone, there was a strange older man with him. They both had something in their hands, Tommy examining it carefully. A pill. The pill. The poison! What was Tommy doing?!

‘TOMMY!’ he screamed, standing on his good leg, hoping his voice would carry.

#####

‘You want answers, don’t you? I know you do. A man like you so curious. What’s the point of finding answers if you can’t prove them right?’ Jeff was goading.

Thomas knew Jeff was just trying to poke and prod at him until he took the pill. Would he be so confident if Thomas had picked the wrong pill? Thomas rolled the pill in his fingers.

‘You’d do anything, anything at all, to get answers.’ Jeff said lowly and Thomas knew it was true.

They both started slowly bringing the pills to their lips. Thomas wasn’t really going to do this was he? He was risking his life to prove he was right. That was madness. The pill kept getting closer to his mouth though, as if his body and his mind were somehow disconnected. The pill hit Thomas’s lower lip-

A deafening gunshot resounded through the room. Thomas, startled, dropped his pill. Jeff Hope, shot, also dropped his pill.

#####

Newt hadn’t shot anyone in six months, he thought his hand should be shaking but it wasn’t. He was as steady as ever. He’d picked the gun up on his way back to Glade Street, the stop he’d asked for. Tommy had said dangerous and Newt had prepared. Newt hadn’t shot anyone in six months, but he’d still hit Jeff Hope right through the heart. He lowered the gun to his side. He had to leave. Now.

#####

Thomas raced over to the window, diving over the desk to get there quicker. Someone had shot Jeff Hope. Who? Who had been there? He hadn’t told anyone where he was going. No one knew he was here. Who hung about the college with a gun just in case they saw something risking their life?

Whoever it was had been quick enough to move away from the window before Thomas reached the one on his building. There was no one to be seen across the courtyard, no sign on a shooter except the clean hole in the glass.

He turned back to the cab driver. A pill was by his side. Thomas picked it up and shoved it under Jeff’s nose.

‘Was I right?’ He asked urgently.

Jeff looked at him as though he was mad. Thomas thought maybe he was. He’d just seen a man get shot and he was worried about some stupid pill. Thomas threw the thing away, banishing it from his head. He had more important questions to ask.

‘You’re right, I’m curious. So tell me; who’s my fan? Who sponsors serial killers?’ Thomas said, kneeling down and trying to put pressure on the wound. It wouldn’t help, he knew it wouldn’t help, he couldn’t not do anything though.

‘No.’ Jeff croaked, coughing slightly.

Thomas balked for a second. ‘You’re dying. What do you have to lose? Tell me!’

Jeff coughed again and it was clear he didn’t have more than a minute left. Thomas applied more pressure to the wound, every second counted. ‘A name. Give me a name!’

The man shook his head. Thomas stared at him in disbelief. Jeff wiggled a little, as if to get away from Thomas’s hands, end it.

‘Tell me now and I’ll let go.’ Jeff’s eyes found his and Thomas knew he’d won. ‘Now!’

‘Michael!’ Jeff screamed.

And Thomas let go. He sat back, blood on his hands, and watched as, very quickly now that the flow wasn’t being held back, Jeff Hope bled to death.

#####

Thomas was sitting in the back of an ambulance. He hated the smell of it, all clean and medical. He wanted to get up and walk away but someone kept pushing him back down into it. Someone, for the hundredth time, draped an orange shock blanket over his shoulders. he knew better than to shrug it right off, the person would just put it back on, so he started waiting for a minute.

Minho was walking towards him, he could see, away from Gally and the others who were working out some of the details of the case. _That_ was where Thomas should be. He was here after all, he knew all the answers. Minho reached him and leant against the ambulance door.

‘Tomboy. Nice blanket, colour suits your complextion.’ Minho laughed and pulled out his phone, snapping a quick picture before Thomas could shrug it off again and glare at him.

‘Shut up, shank. What’s happening over there.’ Thomas nodded to the officers.

Minho laughed at his new photo for a second, ‘That’s gonna be my new screensaver.’

‘Minho.’ Thomas complained.

‘Fine, fine.’ Minho stood up straighter and Thomas stood too, confident he wouldn’t be pushed down now that he was with someone these people saw as an authority. Even if that authority was a klunk head like Minho. ‘We’re trying to figure out who the shooter was.’

‘Oh?’ Thomas looked at the group again. ‘I can tell you this, they were a damned good shot.’

‘That’s for sure. Whoever it was shot a hand gun, 20 meters, straight into a guy’s heart. He’s either damned shucking good or damned shucking lucky.’ Minho pulled a note pad out of his pocket. ‘Did you see something Tomboy?’

‘No. But the guy was good. He didn’t fire til he really had to.’ Thomas continued.

‘Til he had to cuz you were about to kill yourself.’ Minho chastised. He’d been a little upset when he heard, well… he’d shouted at Thomas a bit and called him every name under the sun.

‘I was fine Min.’ Thomas was gonna be regretting this for a while. ‘So the shooter. Crazy good shot, decent moral compass… I don’t know… military?’

Minho cocked his head at that, ‘Might be worth looking into. Finding gun records of old military personnel in the area.’ He wrote a short note on the pad of paper.

Thomas looked back over at the officers, wondering if any of them had any ideas. He really didn’t want to deal with Gally right now but he did want to solve this problem. A tall blonde figure to the right caught his eye and Thomas froze.

Newt. Thomas’s heart skipped a beat, Newt was there, it made Thomas beam. Then his mind began putting the pieces together. Newt was there, Newt was a commander in the military, probably a crack shot, who had such a strong moral compass he’d thrown himself in front of a bullet to save someone else. Newt.

‘Actually, ignored that.’ Thomas snatched the note pad and pulled the page from the book.

Minhoh was confused when Thomas thrust the pad back in his hands. ‘Ignore- what’s going on Tom?’

‘Nothing, it’s nothing. I’m just-’ Thomas looked around for an excuse, he saw the blanket he had discarded in the ambulance and grabbed it, wrapping it round his shoulders, ‘In shock. I’m in shock. Speaking klunk.’

Thomas stepped away but Minho put a hand on his chest, holding him back. ‘Thomas, what do you know?’

‘Nothing’ Thomas repeated firmly.

‘Fine.’ Minho pulled his hand back. ‘You still need to answer a few questions though.’

‘Tomorrow. I can’t now. I’m disturbed by events and need to go home to rest, my flatmate is right there, he’ll take me.’ Thomas began walking away again, stepping out of Minho’s reach.

‘Fine. Tomorrow, Tomboy. See you then.’

‘Don’t call me that!’ Thomas called over his shoulder as he continued towards Newt.

The blonde looked slightly ruffled and very hot. Hot? Maybe Thomas was in shock if he was using words like that. Newt looked good though so he disregarded it. He was bouncing on his toes, as much as he could with one bad leg, and his hands kept moving around, fiddling with his clothes and his fingers.

‘Tommy.’ Newt breathed. He was so relieved to see this mad man. He’d been chasing him down in fear all evening and now here he was, looking at Newt like he saw the world.

‘Hey, Newt.’ Thomas wavered slightly before giving into the urge of reaching to touch the blonde.

He took Newt’s hand carefully in his and Newt yanked on it playfully until Thomas was engulfed in a strong hug.

‘You’re so paying for my therapist sessions after this.’ Newt laughed, pulling back away after a minute. ‘Gally was telling me about the whole thing. With the two pills. Bloody mental stuff.’

Thomas smiled back at him. They stared at each other, both with wide grins. ‘Nice shot.’ Thomas finally said.

‘Yea, Gally said. Lucky you have a friend out there somewhere who knows how to shoot.’ Newt put on his best innocent expression, making Thomas laugh at him.

‘Just a friend?’ Thomas smiled cheekily.

‘Can’t be more, can they?’ Newt replied, ‘Since you’re dating me now and all.’

Thomas felt a glow inside of him when Newt said that and he wondered if it was visible to anyone else walking by. His glow of happiness.

‘Suppose I am. You alright?’ Thomas asked.

‘Me?’ Newt asked, looking confused but still smiling. ‘Yea, why wouldn’t I be?’

‘You just killed a man.’ Thomas answered in a low voice.

Newt looked around them quickly and Thomas almost laughed again. He was so suspicious looking that Thomas was surprised Gally hadn’t come over to question him yet.

‘Far as men go it could have been worse. He wasn’t very nice.’ Newt said after making sure the coast was clear of eaves droppers.

‘He was a bit of a slinthead, that’s true.’ Thomas laughed. ‘And a terrible cabbie too, shoulda seen how we got here, I’m not surprised you were here in time.’

Newt laughed back at him, trying his hardest to stifle it. When someone looked over cautiously Newt just pointed to the blanket Thomas still had and muttered something about shock.

Newt’s face grew serious for a moment, as though he was thinking something over and had found something that didn’t sit right. ‘You were gonna take the bloody pill, weren’t ya Tommy?’

Thomas scoffed at him. ‘Nah, it’s you who puts jumps in front of bullets. I knew you’d come.’

‘No, no you didn’t.’ Newt said, shaking his head. ‘You were gonna take that buggin pill.’

‘Why would I do that?’ Thomas asked, ‘I just got a nice new flat and a gorgeous new boyfriend.’ He winked at Newt quickly.

‘To get an answer.’ Newt said seriously.

Newt stopped suddenly in his place and Thomas turned, worried that Newt had just realised what an idiot Thomas was and was about to kick him to the curb. Newt wasn’t looking at him anymore though, he was looking over Thomas’s shoulder, shocked expression in place. Thomas turned again following Newt’s gaze and, when he found the source, groaned deeply.

‘It’s her. It that girl, your monster.’ Newt whispered urgently.

‘Yup. Let’s go see her shall we?’ Thomas grasped Newt’s hand, lacing their fingers and walking stormily over to the girl.

She was standing next to the same car Newt had taken to the abandoned warehouse earlier with Aris by her side, looking down and typing away on his phone. The girl was looking at Thomas and Newt expectantly. She straightened slightly when they reached her.

‘Teresa.’ Thomas greeted curtly.

‘Tom.’ The girl, Teresa, smiled. ‘Caught another one I see. Different from the usual lost cat job.’

‘What do you want T?’ Thomas asked.

Teresa’s eyes drifted down to where Thoams and Newt’s hands were linked and she smiled at Newt, ‘So you weren’t lying when you said I could expect a happy announcement. Good.’

‘T.’ Thomas demanded, ‘What do you want?’

She turned back to Thomas and her eyes pleaded with him silently to understand, ‘I wanted to see how you were. I worry about you. You know that.’

‘Newt told me all about your worry.’ Thomas said coldly, ‘Offering money to spy on me? That’s low, even for Wicked.’

‘Tom please. We’re on the same side. Wicked it good.’ She tried, but it was obvious Thomas was having none of it. ‘Come on, play nice, you know how us fighting used to upset mum.’

Newt took a moment to process that information but when he did he would admit to being a little shocked. ‘Mum?’ he asked, confusion written clearly on his face.

‘Yes Mr Isaacs. Mum, our mum.’ Teresa said shortly.

‘You’re…’ Newt chuckled a little, ‘You’re his sister? This is your _sister_?’ he turned to Thomas for an answer.

‘New plaything?’ Thomas asked, ignoring Newt and gesturing towards Aris.

‘You too.’ Teresa smiled evilly at Newt as Thomas grumbled under his breath, neck vein straining under his skin, ‘Yes, I’m his sister.’

‘Sister. So you’re not-’ Newt realised the next thing about to come out of his mouth would probably make him sound crazy.

‘Not what?’ She prompted, gleam in her eye.

‘I don’t know. Criminal mastermind?’ Newt felt stupid even suggesting it but Tommy’s posture would suggest he wasn’t.

‘I wouldn’t cross that out if I were you just yet.’ Thomas said, glaring at the girl.

‘Shuck Tommy, Wicked is good, not criminal.’ Teresa sighed.

‘Second time you’ve said that today and I’m still not convinced.’ Thomas replied. ‘Wicked is evil, it experiments on people and hurts lives.’

Teresa sighed again and looked helplessly at Newt, knowing she wouldn’t be able to convince him with Thomas around. Aris seemed to pick up that Teresa was about to leave because he turned sharply and stepped back into the car.

‘Bye, T. Hope I don’t see you soon. Try not to set lose a deadly virus on the way home. You know what it does to traffic.’ Thomas pulled on Newt’s hand again leading him away from his sister.

They were a few steps away before Thomas spoke again, trying to get back to the happy light hearted mood from earlier. ‘Dinner? I’m so shucking hungry.’

‘Sounds bloody good, Tommy.’ Newt responded, feeling a little hungry himself after being pulled out of Angelo’s half done.

‘Second date down already. ‘Thomas smiled and winked at Newt, ‘You know what they say about the third.’

Newt grinned back at him. ‘Second date, huh. First date I get a kiss goodnight. Shouldn’t I get a kiss hello this time?’

Thomas stopped and pulled Newt in, revelling in the fact that they were still close enough that anyone at the crime scene, Gally, Minho, Teresa, would be able to see what he was about to do. He leant forwards, bringing Newt towards him with a guiding hand on the waist and on the back of the neck and kissed him deeply.

Newt sure would have a lot to write about on his blog tonight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Longest chapter yet but I didn't want to split it. Thanks for reading :) I might do Blind Banker eventually but I have other plans for just now.
> 
> Also in case you're like 'Who the hell is Michael?' John Micheal is a character from Kill Order :L


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